Witch Hunt
by N.T Rayne
Summary: It's a war against magic that has consumed all of America and is spreading to the rest of the world. Next Generation fic. THE NEW VERSION OF THE STORY IS UP!
1. Angels & Demons Murder & Transfer

**MAJOR NOTE:**

A Newly revised version of **Witch Hunt **is up! Please visit my profile and look for the story **A Modern Day Witch Hunt** which is the revised version of the story is. This version of the story will no longer be updated. Thank you!

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**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter One: Angels and Demons; Murder and Transfer**

**Author's Note:** Yes, yes. First things first and the usual disclaimer business is always the first thing on the agenda. Anything that you don't recognize as the property of J.K Rowling belongs to me. This is a Harry Potter next generation fanfic, I hope that you enjoy it and please read and review. Critiques are loved. Scathing ones are awesome. I do like it when people tell me that they like my fic, but I also do like it when they tell me what they like about it – you know, style, characters... nothing at all. And if you happen to be SAL, please alert me if I happen to be on pottersues. It is, after all, one of my dearest wish to be featured on her journal. Thank you. Now, on to the story.

**EDIT:** It is probably best that before you read this chapter to go read the Author's Note on Chapter Ten first.

xxx

Toadstool Academy of Magic and Spellcraft

Somewhere in Washington

June 14 : Forest of Enchantment : Witching Hour

xxx

Fear.

If fear had a smell it would smell like this: a combination of cold sweat, black terror and dark air. Amanda knew because she was suffocating in it. Every inhale. Every exhale. Every breath she took was filled with biting cold fear, drying her mouth and irritating her lungs, as she ran blind through the Forest of Enchantment.

"Help! Somebody, please help me!" Amanda prayed that someone would answer her as she slowed into a walk before standing completely still. Her hand curled into a fist. If she hadn't lost her wand, she would have been holding it right now. "Somebody please help me."

Her voice was a hoarse whisper. A sob welled up in her throat.

No. This wasn't the time to be crying. This wasn't the time to panic.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Amanda pushed the sob down with it. She had stopped out in the open. Anyone can see her. She had to run.

Run.

Without another thought, Amanda turned around and ran. She was out in the open. Anyone can see her, including him.

Amanda's eyes darted wildly around the forest, searching its every nook and cranny for a hiding spot. Anywhere was fine, as long as it was safe. Safe from danger. Safe from death. She skidded to a halt behind a large oak tree and pressed her back against its trunk. That sob she had pushed down began to crawl up her throat again from the pit of her stomach. Her legs gave way and Amanda slid to the ground, hugging her knees as tears began to fall from her blue eyes, staining her dirt streaked face. She looked around the forest, her sigh blurred with tears that she wiped away promptly.

She could hardly believe it. The once serene and inspiring landscape had turned foul and macabre. The cool air was now freezing cold, biting at her skin and nerves. The lush green trees whispered like demonic ghosts to the shadows that surrounded her. It was as if they were mocking her, jeering at her misfortune. Before she knew it, she was sobbing.

This wasn't how she wanted her night to end. This wasn't how she wanted the end of her fifth year at Toadstool Academy to end. Yes, she wanted this night to be memorable. She wanted the end of her fifth year to be memorable also. But not this way. It was suppose to end with happiness, bliss and a happily ever after. This? This was a nightmare straight out of hell.

It all started with a letter she received that morning. Golden paper. Red ink. Tied with a silver ribbon and tucked inside her bookbag after Transfiguration class. When she saw the letter, her heart swelled with joy. It was a Cupid's Note, a tradition that has lasted for years at Toadstool Academy. When a boy loves a girl, but was too shy to tell her face to face, he would slip into her bookbag a gold Cupid's Note. If it was a girl, she would slip the boy a silver one.

At first, the note would have a place and time written on it. After a few years though, the location and time would be common knowledge and nothing would be written in it. Just a blank sheet of paper, tied with ribbon. But for some reason, her note had a small picture of a shield and sword on it. Amanda didn't think much of it. It didn't matter anyways because she was much too excited. All she could think about was sneaking out of the dormitories just before midnight and into the Forest of Inspiration then head towards the Starlight Lake. Then at midnight, her Prince Charming would come. Maybe that's what the sword and shield symbolized.

When Amanda told this news to Penelope, her best friend, the other girl only frowned. This isn't a good idea, she said before pushing the letter back to Amanda, not with all the murders that has been going around. Not just at the Academy, but around neighboring cities also.

Amanda took her best friend's reaction as jealousy at first. After all, the both of them were one of the most unnoticeable girls at Toadstool Academy. Girls like them, rarely have the chance to be swept off their feet. As for the murders? She was going to be careful, take all of the precautions. She wasn't scared of the murders either. Sure, there had been three deaths at the Academy and two at Evergreen Needle Town. But Amanda was decent at Defense Against the Dark Arts and was better than most students her age at jinxes and hexes. She'll be fine. She made Penelope swear on her life that she wouldn't tell anyone about her sneaking out. Once the promise was secure, Amanda was on cloud nine. But in the end, Penelope was right.

Prince Charming was a monster.

"Reducto!"

Amanda screamed as the oak tree exploded behind her. At least that's what it felt like as shattered branches and smoking leaves rained down on her. Jilted out of her thoughts, her ears ringing from the blast, Amanda barely had time to regain herself before another spell came whizzing at her.

"Immobulus!"

Amanda dodged the spell just in time, leaping out of the way but crashing face first into a hard rock as she did so. The bitter earthy taste of dirt and moss mixed with blood filled her mouth. With a careless wipe, Amanda brushed the blood from her mouth barely registering the cut on her lip as she started running. He had found her. The chase was on again and her life was on the line.

"You can end this right now you know," said Prince Charming, his voice smooth as silver mercury, "It doesn't have to be this way. It's only harder for the both of us."

Even from far away he sounded unfazed as if he was teetering between the edge of boredom and fascination at this game of cat and mouse. That only irritated Amanda even further. This was a game to him, some sick twisted game and she wasn't going to let him win. The Academy had to be close by. she was sure of it.

Straining her ears, Amanda forced her senses to heighten and push past the sound of her labored breath and the pounding of her footsteps. The wind was rattling the tree leaves. The shadows were whispering to each other. The sound of crickets and silence intermingled with rushing water. Rushing water. The Mystic River. She was close by the Mystic River and once she crossed the bridge it was a straight run towards the Academy. Less than half a mile to the bridge. A mile and a half to the Academy. She had to make it. It was her only hope.

With this new hope, came a new strength. Her mind was clear, free of paranoia and fear. She had a goal and a destination that not even the dark and haunting forest can deter her from it. The first person she was going to was Principal McKinley. She was going to tell him everything. From the Cupid Note to the identity of the murderer. Principal McKinley wouldn't believe her, but she'll make him. She had proof.

Hell, she was the proof.

The rushing sound of the Mystic River and the sight of the old wooden bridge came as a rush of joy. She could barely hear the footsteps of her pursuer. She must have outran him or her must have gotten lost. Either way, she was home free.

When she got to the bridge, Amanda slowed to a walk. Her grip on the wooden rail of the bridge was so tight her knuckles were white and she could feel every splinter against her skin. Breathing deeply, Amanda turned around expecting to see Prince Charming right behind her. But there was nothing. A quiet empty serene forest looked back at her.

"What are you doing out here?"

Amanda spun around in surprise, her hand going up instinctively as if to put her wand up as shield. But when she saw who it was, Amanda breathed a sigh of relief. One of the prefects at the Academy. A girl so quiet that her was existence practically obscured from the student population.

Compared to the girl, Amanda was popular.

"Oh, it's just you," said Amanda, a tired smile of gratitude and relief tugged at her lips. "For a second there I thought that you-"

"That I was the crazy murderer?" finished the girl.

Her words made her want to laugh as Amanda grinned and nodded. "Yea, for a second there I did. Because- because-" Relief was replaced with urgency when Amanda suddenly remembered what was going on. Reaching out, Amanda took the girl by her shoulders and began to push her towards the Academy. "We have to run. Get out of here! He's not what everyone thinks he is and we have to tell Principal McKinley! Come on! Let's go! Why aren't you moving?"

When the girl refused to move, Amanda took a few steps back away from her. Her eyes were wide as Amanda looked from the girl's face to the wand in her had. The wand pointed right at Amanda. Before Amanda could scream for help, the girl flicked her wand. "Silencio."

Her voice was lost.

Amanda stood stunned for a moment. The scream for help she was about to scream died at the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened as fear and panic invaded her mind again. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. Hands to her throat, Amanda looked at the girl. The wand was still up but there was spark of uncertainty in her dark brown eyes.

That uncertainty was all she needed.

Pushing past the girl, Amanda made another bid for freedom but couldn't get far. Another spell was fired at her and hit her full on the back. Amanda fell to the ground again, her arms locked to her sides and legs locked together. A full body bind.

"Took you long enough."

With her face in the dirt, Amanda couldn't see what was going on but she could definitely hear though. The girl sounded annoyed at whoever was walking towards them. It was Prince Charming. The girl was in the same league as Prince Charming. She should have known the two of them were friends after all.

Before tonight, she wouldn't have guessed they were close friends. But now the pieces of the puzzle fit together. She and Prince Charming spent a lot of time together. Everyone noticed but no one cared. Prince Charming was friends with everyone after all. The only question left now, is why? Why are they doing this?

"Took a little detour and found myself on the scenic route," said Prince Charming. Amanda could imagine his easygoing smile as she heard a soft thwap. The girl must have slapped Prince Charming on the arm, at least that's what it sounded like because he was chuckling.

There was silence as the two of them walked over to Amanda, surveying her like a spider does to an insect in its web. It was an uncomfortable silence of not knowing and Amanda hated that. It was even more uncomfortable than breathing in the cool dark soil. That discomfort didn't last long though. A pair of strong gentle hands gripped her shoulders and turned her over. Once she was on her back, Amanda found herself looking into the clear light brown eyes every girl at the Toadstool Academy dreamed of. Even now, with the knowledge that he was the murderer at the Academy, his eyes were breathtaking.

Prince Charming grinned before petting her on the arm. "It'll be all over before you know it," he said, "It's going to hurt. But this pain? This pain is nothing compared to what awaits you in the afterlife if we don't go through with this. Once this is over, you'll be free. Your soul will be purified and you'll descend to the gates of heaven without sin."

Purification? Sin? Heaven?

Amanda's mind reeled with questions as she tried to squirm and scream. Beg for their mercy. Beg for her life. Beg for forgiveness for whatever wrong she had done to either of them. She didn't want to die. She was only sixteen. This was only her fifth year at the Academy. She never had a boyfriend. Never been to a real Quidditch game. Never explored the world like she dreamed of doing. Never tasted real sushi like she always promised Penelope she would. There were so much things she had never experienced. And what about her mother? Her father? She had promised them that she would grow up and make something of herself. How can she keep that promise if she- if she-

All her pleas and sobs went unheard though. She couldn't speak even if she could move her mouth to do so. Instead, her tears spoke for her as they streamed down her face for the second time that night. A gentle hand reached out to her and wiped the tears away.

"You'll be alright in the end. Witches and wizards will burn in hell. This way, you'll go to heaven." It was the girl who spoke this time. After she spoke, Amanda heard two loud snaps. She didn't need to look to know what was broken. It was her wand. Nine and three quarters inches. Yew. Unicorn hair core with a light dusting of fairy dust. Her mother had bought it for her as a sixteenth birthday present. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Amanda felt herself rise from the ground until she was hovering above Prince Charming and the girl. Slowly her arms began to rise also until she appeared to be hanging from an invisible cross. The girl was holding the broken pieces of the wand in one hand. In her other hand was her wand.

Looking at them now, Amanda didn't feel scared anymore. She felt angry. Angry and confused. Why were they killing her to save her soul? Weren't they witches and wizards themselves? They were students of the Academy. The both of them were in her year. They were in the same Charms and Potions class as she was. She wanted to ask them those questions, have them realize their own hypocrisy.

"Are you ready?" asked Prince Charming as he looked over to the girl. She was looking at Amanda, biting her bottom lip as she did so. "You want to do the honors?" She shook her head. Prince Charming smiled grimly before he nodded and looked at Amanda. "Then I will."

Amanda watched as Prince Charming closed his eyes. It was as if he was steeling himself for a duel. Collecting his thoughts. Calculating his moves. She had seen this stance a thousand times before from him during Dueling club and at the annual Dueling contests Toadstool Academy had hosted. But when she squinted, she saw his lips moving. He was concentrating indeed. In fact, he was praying. Then with a flash, his eyes opened and in the moonlight Prince Charming's eyes flashed an angelically dark light. He pointed his wand at her.

"Incendio."

Searing heat engulfed Amanda's entire being. It ate away at her skin. Tore at her hair. Ravished at her nerves. Electrifying, scorching and burning her every sense. It was a pain so mind numbing so mind wrecking that Amanda felt as if she could go insane – no, she was going insane. What's worse, she couldn't even scream. Scream so that the world can hear her tortured anguish. Scream so that whatever god there is can end her misery. Scream so that she knows she isn't dead, because once she was deaf to her own screams, she was dead.

There is no sinner on the face of the Earth who deserves this sort of pain.

"Is it done? Is it over?"

"Yes, it is."

Pulling away from Prince Charming's one armed hug, the girl turned and looked at the charred remnants of a blonde haired blue eyed girl named Amanda. She suppressed a gag at the sight before turning away again, burying her face into Prince Charming's chest. This wasn't the first time she had helped in the purification process. Nor was this the first time she had seen one either. But that never meant it was easier every time. The look in the sinner's eyes as their earthly bodies were destroyed and their souls cleansed. It was torturous. Torturous but necessary.

Prince Charming's stance shifted and the girl felt herself pulled into a full hug. "You ok?" he asked, his thumb stroking her arm.

"Yea, yea, I'm fine." She pulled away, hand held up to her mouth. She refused to look at the body. It was horrifying. "Can we head back now? I want to get some sleep and someone's bound to notice that we're gone."

That was half a lie. The full truth was that she wanted to be as far from the body as possible. She didn't know how Prince Charming did it. How he was able to watch as the "unholy ones" were purified. He was the one who tenderly, every so tenderly, brought the body back to the ground once the flames were dying and then tossed the person's wand into the fire. She would never be able to do that.

"Some time tonight would be great, please?" she said, looking over at him. He was looking at Amanda's body. Frustrated, she walked over to Prince Charming and pulled him towards the school. "Come on."

That did the trick. He turned away from the corpse but the silent seriousness in his eyes unnerved her. "If her soul doesn't go to heaven, even after this, she deserves it, you know?" he said as he reached into the pockets of his gray slacks. "It's her fault if she was so full of sin she can't reach the gates."

This was too macabre.

"At least we tried," she said, rubbing her arms from the cold wind. "At least she has a chance."

Silence again.

She looked up and saw Prince Charming sticking a red lollipop in his mouth. He crumpled up the wrapper and shoved it back into his pockets.

More silence.

The sound of rushing water was far behind them now. The forest was become sparser and the trees looked less vicious and menacing. A large fountain came into view, a long narrow fountain that had been turned off for the night. From where they were standing it looked like black mirror with the stars decorating its surface. Standing behind the fountain was the Academy in all its splendor. It looked like a mansion estate more than anything else. The main building where the classes are being the mansion and the two buildings in the back being the boys and girls dorms.

As they came towards the fountain, Prince Charming came to a stop and looked down at his reflection. The girl stopped a few steps behind him. What was he doing? She was growing more impatient now but held her tongue. Then after a few seconds he turned and looked at her, the lollipop now out of his mouth. He was twirling it between his fingers now before he looked up at the star-filled sky.

"I hope so."

xxx

Toadstool Academy of Magic and Spellcraft

Somewhere in Washington

June 15 : Principal McKinley's Office : 2:36 pm

xxx

He couldn't believe it.

Principal McKinley groaned in frustration as he slammed his fist to his desk, rattling the ink bottles and miniature statues on his desk. He could hardly believe it. With all the security he had placed around campus – all the teachers and staff patrolling the corridors and the grounds, another student still managed to turn up dead like the other three. Body burned, positioned as if they were lying on a cross. Wand broken into three pieces, partially burnt. The worst part about this entire story was the fact that all this happened just a few hours before sunrise, barely even two miles from the school and no one saw, or even heard anything.

Massing his temples, Principal McKinley stared at manila folder lying on his desk. The name Wilkins, Amanda glared at him in black ink. Case number A489E3. When Amanda's body was discovered in the forest that morning by the Academy's groundskeeper, there was no other option but to call the American Magical Enforcement Services immediately. They had been called in secret and everyone agreed that the recent murder should be kept hush hush to the students, at least, until they had to know about it. Once that was decided, the officers started to investigate the scene.

They combed through every speck of dirt and blade of grass for some clue as to who killed Miss Amanda Wilkins. They had done the exact same thing three times before with Mr. Edward Fields, Mr. Peter Yanet and Miss Ashley Green. The only thing that set Miss Amanda apart from the other two was that her murder was recent. The body wasn't moved to the front of the school, displayed for everyone to see like the other two. Hers was simply left in the forest where they assumed the body was burned at. The A.M.E.S officers were saying that the murderer didn't have time to move the body, or was planning to move it later.

It didn't matter though. The only thing that mattered was that a girl was killed. By guilt or by curiosity, Principal Wilkins found himself opening the folder and looking at the school portrait of Amanda. She was a pretty girl in her own way. A little heavyset but she had a fair smile with a single dimple on the right side of her face. What was he going to tell her parents?

There was a knock on his office door and Principal Wilkins looked up with a start. He quickly closed Amanda's file and pushed it aside, knocking over a glass vase filled with quills in the process. "Come in," said Principal Wilkins as he righted the vase, "The door's unlocked. Please, come in." The door opened and immediately Principal Wilkin's smiled. "Ah, Liam, I had completely forgotten that we had an appointment today. I swear, my mind is going with old age. Please, have a seat and ah, I see you've brought a friend with you. Miss Jenkees, is it?"

"Cassandra. Cassandra Jenkees, sir."

"Ah, yes, whatever."

The boy, Liam, flashed a smile at Principal McKinley before settling himself into one of the blue chairs. Principal McKinley had always been fond of Liam. The fifth year boy was one of the finest students to have graced Toadstool Academy. He was talented, excelling in almost every class the school had to offer with little to no trouble. Charismatic, a regular social butterfly. Everyone at Toadstool Academy knew who he was. And he was handsome. Fair skinned with an angelic grace. Clear light brown eyes that were almond shaped. Full lips that were always curved with a kind smile. Some of the girls have taken to calling him a Chinese Prince Charming out of jest. The only thing that both detracted and enhanced his angelic face was his hair. For the love of Merlin, Principal McKinley could never figure out why Liam would go and bleach his natural black hair champagne blond. Still, Liam was the kind of student Principal McKinley had always wanted to be: popular and smart. The kind of student that was destined for great things.

As for Cassandra.

His smile fell to a tight frown as Principal McKinley watch her take the seat next to Liam. The girl was the kind of student Principal McKinley was back when he was fifteen. Quiet. Not popular. Barely noticeable. In short she was plain and average. Her grades weren't top notch except for in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts. She didn't have very many friends and try as he might Principal McKinley couldn't even remember if she even had any friends aside from Liam. He was an observant man and when he went for his walks around the school he paid attention to which students interacted with others and which ones didn't. No, she did have some students she talked too, but rarely. She was also average in looks. Wavy brown hair that was often times tied back in a low ponytail or let loose to hang to her chest like it was now. Brown eyes that were hidden behind black framed glasses. Spots of acne dotting her barely tanned skin. Yes, she was the kind of student Principal McKinley had little respect for. But since she was Liam's friend, he was willing to make an exceptation.

Once they were seated and settled, Principal McKinley reached over and pushed a bowl of candy over to the two. "Please, help yourselves. Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Liam? And feel free to take as many as you like. There's plenty more where those came from."

Cassandra shook her head politely. Liam, though, grinned as he reached over and selected a blue lollipop from the bowl. "Thank you, Principal McKinley," he said before leaning back into his chair. He then started to twirl the white stem between his fingers. The frown that began to creep across Liam's face started to worry Principal McKinley. "As for our appointment today, it's about..." He trailed off and looked over at Cassandra. She looked back at him and quirked an eyebrow. Liam then closed his eyes and sighed before he looked at Principal McKinley. "I guess there's no other way to say this than to say it. You see, Principal McKinley, with all the recent... occurrences... going on at Toadstool Academy, Cassandra's uncle, my guardian, have been considering..."

"Withdrawing you from the Academy?" finished Principal McKinley.

"Unfortunately, yes."

Principal McKinley heaved a deep breath and sighed. It was his turn to close his eyes now, that migrane he had been fighting ever since the discovery of Amanda's body was pounding mercilessly against his brain now. This wasn't the first time this year students have been withdrawing from Toadstool Academy. The withdrawals have started ever since the discovery of Peter Yanet's body, sometime in February. When Edward's body was discovered in November, everyone was told that it was a spell on gone wrong. That Edward had misfired a spell and burned himself to death. When Peter's body was found, five students were withdrawn from the Academy. After Ashley's body was discovered in May, ten more students left.

"Are you certain that the both of you will be withdrawing from the Academy?" asked Principal McKinley, looking straight at Cassandra now.

Cassandra nodded, her eyes looking into his. "My uncle has been wanting us to leave since May, but with OWLs and all, Liam and I didn't want to leave. He's afraid... We're all afraid. My uncle also told us to think of this as a blessing. He's been given a position over at the Ministry of Magic in England and well, he wants us to go to England with him. He says its not safe here and with the news he's been hearing there's no wizarding school or wizarding place in general, in America that's safe. The murders haven't just been happening here, they're all over the country. He wants us to continue our education but not here... not in this country. That's the reason why Liam made this appointment." Reaching into her messenger bag, Cassandra withdrew a stack of papers and placed them out for Principal McKinley to take. "My uncle wants us to move to England with him and attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry instead. These are the transfer papers, we were hoping that you can sign them. My uncle has spoken to the Headmistress at Hogwarts. She has, sort of agreed to allow us to transfer even though it's... unconventional. But then she did agree that the circumstance we're in is unconventional."

The stack of transfer papers felt like death warrants in his hands when Principal McKinley took them. He glanced over the papers briefly, skimming all the legal BS. Even though he didn't want too, Principal McKinley knew that it was the right thing to do. After all, now principal wants to see his star student get transferred to a new school. Then again, no principal wants to see his star student get brutally murdered either. With a heavy heart, Principal McKinley reached over to one of the quills in his vase, dipped it in ink and started scrawling his signature in all the appropriate places.

"Suppose the Headmistress of Hogwarts, doesn't accept you?" asked Principal McKinley.

Cassandra shrugged as she watched him sign the papers. "Then I guess Liam and I are going to be homeschooled in England then."

Once everything was signed, Principal McKinley handed the papers back to Cassandra who immediately stuffed them back into the bag. With a polite goodbye, she got up to leave, only to stop at the doorway. For a second, Principal McKinley thought she was going to say something else, a more heartfelt and sad goodbye perhaps. But instead she only told Liam that she was going to class and that she'll see him later. That was it. Principal McKinley frowned and shook his head. "Miss Jenkees, isn't very sociable is she?"

A chuckle escaped Liam's lips as he sat up and nodded. "She isn't too fond of drawn out goodbyes either. She likes things simple and sweet." He leaned back again, fingers laced across his stomach as Liam looked around the Principal's office. "Secretly she's going to miss the Academy. I know I will."

"You make friends wherever you go, Liam. I'm sure you'll do fine at Hogwarts. More than fine, perhaps, considering the fact that you're such bright student," said Principal McKinley.

"But Hogwarts isn't Toadstool. And England is most definitely not America. I mean, come one. Who calls a cookie a biscuit and potato chips, crisps?" Even though he was complaining, it was Liam's light hearted attempt at a joke and Principal McKinley laughed just a bit. "And besides, I'm also willing to bet there isn't going to be a dueling club at Hogwarts. Or a quidditch team that's worth watching."

It was nice to know that Liam wasn't thrilled about transferring to Hogwarts. But every professor, witch and wizard knew about the reputation Hogwarts carried. Even though Principal McKinley didn't like the idea of seeing his students leave Toadstool, he wasn't going to let them talk down one of the greatest school of magic in history.

"Hogwarts is an excellent school," said Principal McKinley, "The professors there are the best at what they do and many great witches and wizards have studied there. Albus Dumbledore for instance was the Headmaster there and he was an extraordinary wizard. I met him once, it was an honor to meet a man who dedicated his life to fighting for equality in the wizarding community. And then there was You-know-who, I mean, Lord V-vol-voldemort. I certainly hope he hasn't returned from his grave in England to torment America. Of course, there's also Harry Potter. You might meet some of his children there. I hear that one of them is your age sort of."

Liam laughed as he got up and started pacing around the office. "Hogwarts might have Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, but Toadstool will always have me." At that last bit, Liam shook his head grinning before he turned and looked at Principal McKinley's desk. "Wilkins, Aman- If you don't mind my asking, Principal Wilkins, but what is that?"

Liam was nodding at Amanda's case file. Principal McKinley felt a flush of red enter his face as he reached over to the file to put it away in his desk. The information was top secret, classified until the students positively had to know. But when Principal McKinley picked up the folder and was about to open his drawer, he paused. What harm was there in giving Liam the file to look at? The boy was trustworthy and this might be his last year at Toadstool Academy forever. Without another thought, he gave Liam the file.

There was complete silence as Liam opened the file and looked through the pages. The boy looked thoroughly absorbed into what he was reading. An occasional pause to look at the gruesome pictures before moving on. Once he was finished, Liam slowly closed the file and slid it back to Principal Wilkins. "I knew her," he said quietly, "She was in my Charms class. I- I never... I never had the guts to tell her I loved her."

This was news to Principal McKinley. He looked at Liam, wide eyed and shocked before reaching over and placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. Liam pulled away and closed his eyes. He opened the file and took out the school picture of Amanda. "May I keep this?"

Still stunned for words, Principal McKinley nodded. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know, you liked her. If I did, I wouldn't have-"

Liam shook his head before he slipped the picture into his uniform's breast pocket on the left, right over his heart. "I killed her..."

This was even more shocking.

Principal McKinley stared at Liam dumbfounded. Tears were forming in the other boy's eyes and before he could ask what he meant, Liam launched into an explanation. "I sent her a note. You know, one of those Cupids Note. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her before the end of the year but then- but then I chickened out. I mean, what if she rejected me? What if she liked someone else? I got scared half way sneaking out of the dorms and I went back. I told myself that I was going to find her today in Potions and apologize and tell her I was sorry that I chickened out. When I didn't see her, I thought that it was because she was crying in her room. I mean, it's a big deal with someone gets a Cupids Note. I thought that she told her friends and didn't want them to know that she had been stood up. But this- I- I should have- I should have gone. I could have protected her. I could have-"

Before Liam could continue, Principal McKinley shushed him, patting him on the shoulder. "There wasn't anything you could have done, Liam. And if you had been out there, you could have been killed also. It's not your fault what has happened."

That seemed to have calmed him down. As a few more tears trickled down Liam's face, Principal McKinley picked out another lollipop from his bowl of sweets and handed it to Liam. A lollipop wasn't going to erase the pain the boy must be feeling, but at least it could ease it.

"Thank you," said Liam, taking the lollipop. He took a deep breath before stepping back towards the door. "I didn't, really want to say goodbye like this. I mean, I'm usually more the type that says "don't worry, have fun without me" but after seeing this... I-"

"Don't worry about it," said Principal McKinley, waving Liam off. "Go back to your room and lay down. You can be excused for the rest of the day. You deserve it."

A grateful smile graced Liam's lips as he turned to leave the room. Before he could though, Principal McKinley stopped him. "Liam, you and Cassandra, you are staying until the end of the semester, correct? It's only a few more days away. Fifteen to be exact."

Liam paused at the door before he turned and looked at Principal McKinley sadly. He shook his head. "Our plane is leaving for England at the end of this week."

And those were the last words Liam said before closing the door behind him.

xxx

He was taking longer than he was suppose to in Principal McKinley's office and Cassandra didn't like it one bit.

Fidgeting with the strap of her bookbag, Cassandra continuously glanced down the hallway waiting for Liam to hurry it up so she could discuss the final plan with him. Then again, this was Liam she was talking about and Liam was never one to be on time, especially when socializing was involved. Several students walked pass Cassandra, barely noticing that she was there. The ones that did only gave her a cursory glance before hurrying on their way. This was the routine ever since he second year at Toadstool Academy.

During the first year, everyone would try to talk to her, befriend her and suck up to her because they all wanted to get to know Liam. The guys wanted to get to know him to see exactly how much of a threat he was. The girls were the worse, they were always asking for his number. By the time all of them realized that Cassandra wasn't particularly helpful in getting them closer to Liam, they started to ignore her. And she liked it, no she preferred it that way.

As she waited, a familiar face caught her eye and Cassandra smiled. An African American girl with large blue eyes and curly hair walked up to Cassandra. "Hey, what's up? You waiting for someone or something?"

Cassandra nodded. "Hey, Brianna. And, yea, Liam. We just finalized everything. Got McKinley to sign the transfer papers and next week we're boarding a plane to England. What about you? I heard you and Gregory were transferring to a school somewhere in Europe also. France, was it?"

Brianna nodded before pulling out a folder from her bookbag. "Yup, you heard right. Got the papers right here. I was just about to stop by McKinley's to get them signed but it seems as if you and Prince Charming got there first. We're going to some French school called Beauxbatons. I'm not all that hyped about it. I mean, the only upside to this whole arrangement is that you and Liam are close by. We should totally hang out or something. Hell, maybe you can pull a few strings and get us into Hogwarts. I mean, I heard you and Liam are tight with the Saint. That's the whole reason why the both of you are going to Hogwarts. It's because he trusts you to take down the big dog."

"Keep it down, Brianna," hissed Cassandra. Her eyes darted about the hallway. Even though they were speaking quietly, there was still the off chance that someone heard them talking. Frowning, Cassandra shook her head and sighed. Brianna was right about her and Liam being two of the Saint's favorite hunters. But that didn't mean they had any more power than the next member. "Whenever you want to hang out, just owl me. But I don't think we're allowed to keep in contact with each other. Not at first. Anyways-"

"Cassandra! Brianna! How are you lovely ladies, doing?"

Sometimes the sound of Liam's voice was just a little bit annoying.

Turning around, Cassandra watched as Liam sauntered over her and Brianna, his bookbag swinging ever so casually at his side. He was wearing his Cheshire grin, which meant he had done something he was extremely happy or proud of. It was his "cat that caught the canary smile."

"Someone's in a good mood," said Brianna, walking over to give Liam. The two of them exchanged a quick friendly hug and pecks on the cheek.

"Not really, I mean, the love of my life just got brutally murdered. I'm supposed to be in mourning," said Liam, "What about you, Brianna? Heading over to McKinley's? I suggest you wait a bit before asking him to transfer out of here. It'd be kinda suspicious if we do it on the same day."

"Yea, I guess so," said Brianna, looking at the folder wistfully. With a graceful shrug, she placed the folder back in her bag and waved at the both of them, "Well, since I can't go to McKinley's might as well grab a bite to eat. Hey, I'll catch you guys later alright?"

As they waved Brianna off, Cassandra turned to Liam the instant Brianna was out of sight. She quirked an eyebrow at him and folded her arms across her chest. "You told McKinley about the Cupids Note? You told him, you sent it? Why?"

"Must we really talk about this in a hallway full of students?" asked Liam as he unwrapped his lollipop, "And you know why. Just think for a little bit and you'll figure it out."

"Yea, you did it for attention," said Cassandra, rolling her eyes. She and Liam weren't exactly best friends and yet they were. She depended on him, trusted him more than anyone she knew. And she was certain he felt the same way with her. But there were times, times like these, when she could hardly understand him at all. "Why are you such a drama king? I mean, you're always putting up an act, I don't know if you' even capable of feelings deeper than a spilled milk."

Liam turned and grinned at Cassandra, the lollipop still in his mouth. "My feelings are real. At least when I'm with the right people."

Slapping Liam across the arm, Cassandra scoffed. "That has got to be the fakest smile out of you yet," she said before sighing. "Anyways, I really should head to class. Where are you going?"

That grin became sharper as Liam withdrew the picture of Amanda from his pocket. When she saw the picture, Cassandra felt herself freeze. She quickly averted her eyes and set her mouth into a thin line.

"I'm heading to the owlery. Gotta report back to the Saint and tell him mission complete."

Cassandra nodded. "Yea, you do that."

A sigh escaped his lips as Liam walked over and hugged Cassandra. This came as a surprise to her. This was the first time Liam had hugged her in public. The brief friendly hugs and incessant annoying ones didn't count because the first one was reflex and the second one was to bother her and anyone else who had a personal bubble. The hug was brief, but genuinely kind. It was a hug an older brother would give to a younger sibling but only to be embarrassed at the last minute.

"We're doing the right thing Cassie."

To that, Cassandra could only nod. She knew they were. They were saving lives and saving souls. Having magic is not normal. It's an abomination to mankind. Destroying the wizarding world, purifying souls, that was the only way they can redeem themselves and save as many lives as possible.

"I know we are."


	2. Unsettled Feelings in Diagon Alley

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Two: Unsettled Feelings in Diagon Alley**

**Author's Note:** Once again. Disclaimers. Anything you don't recognize as belonging to J.K Rowling is mine. Anything you do recognize that belongs to her is hers. And here is Chapter Two of Witch Hunt. Read and review. Critques are loved… ya di da did a.

Special thanks to:

**Sarapha:** For inviting me to join her Harry Potter rp. :D

**Cinderpool-Accio Chaos:** For your honest opinion, critique and recommendation that I should get a beta. XD If only you could have seen me writhing in pain and idiocy when I re-read the chapter and found all those mistakes.

**Lightfairy1587:** For putting Witch Hunt on your Story Alerts

xxx

Leaky Cauldron

High Street, London, England

July 1 : Leaky Cauldron's Main Pub : Noon

xxx

If circumstances were different, McGonagall wouldn't have agreed to meet Mr. Jenkees at the Leaky Cauldron.

It was unprofessional. Unprofessional, but they both agreed it was for good reason.

Reason number one, the Leaky Cauldron was iconic. It was a sort of the Big Ben of the wizarding community in England. Mr. Jenkees would have been living under a rock if he didn't know where it was or what the Leaky Cauldron was.

Reason number two, the more important reason, was that Liam and Cassandra were not students at Hogwarts, not yet at least. A school is a private sanctuary for the students and teachers, Mr. Jenkees said in his recent letter, a person who is neither a student, a teacher or an alumni has no reason to set foot or even sight on the academy, unless circumstances require it. This situation does not require it. McGonagall couldn't have agreed more to his sentiment.

A quick glance at the old clock hanging behind the bar area; it was noon. They should be here any minute. Since they were new to England, she was willing to spare some extra time. A minute. Two. Three. As she waited, the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, walked over and set a pitcher of ice water along with an empty cup onto her table.

"Thank you, Hannah," said McGonagall as she reached over to pour herself a glass of water. Hannah Abbot, a former student at Hogwarts now landlady of the Leaky Cauldron. It was amazing how fast the students grew up.

Hannah gave McGonagall a nod and smile. "Anytime, Headmistress," she said before returning behind the bar where Neville Longbottom, her husband, was standing at, trimming one of his plants.

McGonagall's lips fell into a tight line as she watched Hannah and Neville share a kiss.

It had been twenty five years. Twenty five years since Dumbledore died and twenty six years since You-Know-Wh- Voldemort has been defeated. Yet still, McGonagall felt unsettled in her role as Headmistress at Hogwarts. After all, no one can truly replace Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all time. The funny thing about all this is how no one knew that she was unsettled by this.

Even though the auburn in her hair was beginning to fade into strands of gray, she was still as strict yet fair as ever to her students. She had not lost the conviction she had as a teacher and as the Deputy Headmistress.

The professors complimented her on her ability to judge each detention with an unbiased opinion – it didn't matter if the student and troublemaker was a Gryffindor or a Slytherin, they were going to scrub those dishes until each and every one was clean - and her ability to choose only the best to teach the students at Hogwarts – it was a surprise to the staff when Neville joined them as the Herbology teacher but he proved to be one of best teachers Hogwarts ever had.

But everything she has done so far has been nothing more than dealing with the normal humdrum of the everyday school life. What if a real disaster happened? A real disaster as big as-

The wrinkles around her lips and eyes crinkled even further as McGonagall reached into her bag and pulled out two files, placing them neatly on the old wooden table. The sharp creak made her wince. Hannah said that had been meaning to get them replaced for a while now, but never got around to it apparently. She looked at the files critically. Inside where the grade reports, medical reports and just about any and all school reports for the two students Mr. Jenkees was hoping she would allow into Hogwarts.

"Liang, Shi Huang," said McGonagall, her faded green eyes scanning the name on the first file over before moving onto the next one. "Jenkees, Cassandra."

When Mr. Jenkees first owled her, imploring her to please consider allowing two transfer students from America to attend Hogwarts for the rest of their schooling, McGonagall replied with a simple stern 'no'. It didn't matter if Mr. Jenkees was given a position at the Ministry of Magic. His niece and her friend can still easily attend Toadstool Academy in America.

After all, they lived in the dorms during the school year and could visit him during the holidays by simply using a Portkey. If that was an inconvience they can go about the muggle way and buy an airplane ticket. But when Mr. Jenkees told her about Toadstool's unusual predicament, she had no choice.

How can she deny an uncle and guardian safety for his children? She told him if the headmaster at Toadstool was willing to sign their release papers then she was willing to let them into Hogwarts. But once she received an owl from Mr. Jenkees on June 20th telling her that Headmaster McKinley of Toadstool had signed the transfer papers, that unsettled feeling that had been festering at the back of her mind returned.

A real, big, disaster.

It was a Headmistress's duty to prevent these disasters before they happened. What if bringing students from America to Hogwarts also meant bringing America's disaster over to England also? It was a ridiculous thought. But what if?

The bells on the Leaky Cauldron's main entrance twinkled and McGonagall looked up to see two teenagers walk in. Within an instant, she recognized who they were.

Shi Huang Liang and Cassandra Jenkees.

The boy, Shi Huang, looked exactly like his picture. Handsome. Smart. According to his files he was a star student. Not a Hermione Granger, McGonagall noted as she opened his file and turned to his grade sheet to skim over. But somewhere just below her.

As for Cassandra, she looked younger. Perhaps it was because she was smiling in person while her picture appeared solemn and a tad annoyed. With that smile, she looked far prettier and carefree. Both of them were wearing Muggle clothes. Jeans and t-shirts. Shi Huang had on a red fedora and red leather jacket. Bright yellow shoes. Cassandra, a black and white striped hoodie. Black shoes with light blue laces.

The two were talking animatedly and from where she was sitting, it wasn't hard to listen in on their conversation. In fact, the entire pub could probably hear them talking as they stood near the doorway.

"It's like speaking in a whole different language here. I mean, seriously, I thought the most I'd have to worry about is driving on the left- I mean right- I mean left-"

"You mean right."

"Right! The right side of the road. And remembering that biscuits are cookies, flats are apartments and chips are fries. But this? This is insane. I mean, that taxi driver looked at me like I was crazy and I seriously felt violated when that guy at Oxford asked me if he could borrow my eraser."

"I think he should be the one that feels violated. Still can't believe you actually gave him a condom. Harder to believe that you actually had one on you. What were you doing with a condom in your bag in the first place?"

"He asked for a rubber, so I gave him a rubber! And it was from our sex ed class. Forgot I had it in there."

"Enough, both you. Keep your voices down, you're both embarrassing me."

Behind Shi Huang and Cassandra came a man in his early forties, dressed smartly in muggle business attire. His shoes were polished and his dark brown hair groomed neatly. The pub went silent when the three of them entered. It was as if an elephant had walked in and everyone decided to gawk and stare. It was obvious why too. If McGonagall hadn't known better, she too would have thought a muggle family had just accidentally entered the Leaky Cauldron. After all, Cassandra and Shi Huang were too old to be first year muggleborns just entering the wizarding world for the first time. And wizarding families touring London are usually dressed in wizard attire.

Immediately Neville came around from behind the counter towards the trio. He seemed cautious, wary perhaps at the chance that the three who just entered were not muggles. Still, one hand was in his pocket. No doubt that's where his wand was hidden and McGonagall knew that Neville's wandwork had improved considerably. His memory charms were not something to be trifled with.

"Can I help you? If any of you are lost, I can gladly give you directions to where you need going."

The man's eyes flashed as he surveyed Neville with his sharp brown eyes. He didn't answer right away instead he turned his attention from Neville to the rest of the pub. The two teenagers, Cassandra and Liam had stopped their conversation and were looking around also. Their faces were impassive, unimpressed by the scene. Then almost at once the three of them turned to McGonagall.

In that instant, McGonagall and Mr. Jenkees locked eyes. There were no words exchanged, not even a need to nod her head to signal that she was the Headmistress at Hogwarts. Even though the both of them have never met in person, it was as if Mr. Jenkees already knew who she was and she was the one he was coming to meet today.

"It's alright, Neville, they're with me," said McGonagall. Neville nodded, his stance softened once it was clear that the three who had entered were not stray muggles. The humdrum of the pub continued again as witches and warlocks bantered over prices and trade objects. Once Mr. Jenkees and the two students arrived, McGonagall waved towards the pitcher of water. "Something to refresh yourselves with? I certainly hope it wasn't too difficult to find this place."

"Not at all," said Mr. Jenkees as he took a seat. Liam and Cassandra followed the suit, both of them taking seats on either side of Mr. Jenkees. "It's a pleasure meeting you in person at last, Headmistress McGonagall. And I would like you to meet my niece, Cassandra. And her friend, Liam."

"It's a pleasure, meeting you," said Cassandra with a small tight smile. All remnants of the carefree girl McGonagall had been observing disappeared within and instant.

Liam on the other hand, continued to grin, "An honor, of course, to be meeting the headmistress of Hogwarts. And dare I say, you glass looks like it could use a refill, do you mind?"

Reaching up, McGonagall stopped Liam from reaching over for the water pitcher. "That's, quite alright." This was unexpected. Never had a student offered to refill her cup of water before, at least not a student who wasn't being extra nice to her in an attempt to get out of detention. Clearing her throat, McGonagall watched Liam sternly as he sat down again. She then looked down at the files on the table. The files didn't really matter anymore, any information she needed was right in front of her. She pushed the files aside.

"Let's get to business then shall we? The four of us know exactly what this meeting is about, so let's not waste any more of our precious time. Mr. Jenkees, do you have-"

"The papers? Yes, of course. Cassandra?"

Cassandra reached into the messenger bag she carried and withdrew a folder. Inside were the transfer papers. McGonagall reached over and took the folder. She didn't open it. Instead, she set it down on the table and looked at the three sitting in front of her. Her eyes then fell on Liam and Cassandra.

"According to both of your files, the two of you are fine students. Students I would be proud to have at Hogwarts. After all, Mr. Liang-"

"Please, call me Liam. Mr. Liang makes me sound old and I don't like being called Shi Huang," said Liam.

McGonagall's lips tightened. "After all, Mr. Liang," she placed extra emphasis on his name making Liam wince and frown. "You have certain proven yourself to be an accomplished student. Your Charm work is admirable and you're very well rounded in your other classes. You're also a very fine duelist according to Principal McKinley's comments. And Miss Jenkees, your grades in Transfiguration are outstanding. The talent and knack to be able to change animals from on species to the next in your fifth year is rare, considering something like that is taught in your sixth year. Your Transfiguration professor, Ms. Fredrieck, was a friend of mine and she doesn't give out too many compliments."

At the mention of her Transfiguration skills, Cassandra smiled and shrugged. But the smile was genuine and she tried to hide it by taking a sip of water. Mr. Jenkees was practically beaming at the compliments given to Liam and Cassandra. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a fountain pen and uncapped it. "Then I suppose this settles it then, correct? All we need now are my signature and yours and Cassandra and Liam will be seeing you on September first."

"Not quite, Mr. Jenkees." The spark in Mr. Jenkee's eyes faltered as he placed the pen back into his pocket. Liam was sitting up now, his eyes wide as he stole a glance at Cassandra who had an eyebrow quirked.

McGonagall interlaced her fingers and set her hands firmly down on the folder Cassandra had given her. "Before I sign these papers, I would like to discuss a few matters. You see, Mr. Jenkees, my first and foremost loyalty is to Hogwarts. I do not want to harm my students in any way or endanger them in any way. The predicament the both you," at this McGonagall looked at Liam then at Cassandra, "are in is quite a predicament indeed. Three deaths at Toadstool Academy, two in a neighboring village and the murderer wasn't even been caught. I understand, quite personally, what the professors and students must have been going through while trying to prevent any more damage from happening. The loss of a student weighs heavily on all our hearts. I also understand that the entire country of America isn't safe. Over the last several years, there have been murders taking place. First in wizarding communities then eventually bleeding into academies, like Toadstool. This is the reason why, the both of you want to transfer to Hogwarts, is that correct?"

Both Liam and Cassandra nodded grimly.

"So you see, bringing the both of you to Hogwarts can possibly mean opening her doors to the same darkness that had taken over Toadstool and I cannot allow that."

A hushed and uncomfortable silence swept through between the four of them. Looks of pure shock were written on Liam's and Cassandra's face while Mr. Jenkees just looked utterly angry. His face was turning red as he clenched his hands into fists. "Are you saying that Liam and Cassandra are responsible for the murders at Toadstool?"

"Not at all, Mr. Jenkees. But I am concerned about that fact that once I let Liam and Cassandra in, I will eventually have to allow other students to transfer into Hogwarts also. The more students I allow to transfer into Hogwarts, the more likely are my chances of allowing the wrong student enter Hogwarts. Remember, Mr. Jenkees, the murders aren't just happening at Toadstool, they are happening at every Wizarding Academy in America. I've done my research and have been keeping up with the news, I know what is happening in America just. Salems Institute in Massachusetts. Three murders last year. Five this year. Oasis School of Magic in Southern California. Ten deaths within a span of three years. Not only that, but wizarding families have been turning up missing all of a sudden across the country. When they are found, their bodies were burned as if crucified. Reminiscent of the witch burnings back in Colonial America. Everyone in America has been growing restless and everyone is looking for an escape. I assume that's the reason why you, Mr. Jenkees, have decided to take the offer the Ministry of Magic here in England gave you. And as much as I sympathize with you and your family, you must remember. Everyone is looking to escape America."

Silence again.

A choking, deathly silence.

The furious look on Mr. Jenkee's face was replaced by seething rage. Liam was taken aback, he looked frustrated as he glanced to the side in an attempt to hide it. Only Cassandra didn't react quite as strongly. Her eyes were lowered to her hands folded on her lap. Then she looked up at McGonagall. Her brown eyes met McGonagall's green ones.

"Headmistress, if it's all right with you, I would like to say a few things."

When McGonagall nodded, Cassandra bit her bottom lip. She held the silence for a few seconds before sighing.

"Please, you have to help us." Her voice wavered as if she was one the verge of tear. "Please. We have no place to go because if we go back to Toadstool, we're almost certain to be the next victims. It's like in the stories or the movies. The ones who try to leave or escape, they're always the ones who will die. To set an example, you know? And if we transfer to another school in America, well... We're gambling with our lives. You're gambling with our lives. Please. I know you don't want to open the newspaper here in England or receive news about two more deaths in America. Two deaths, you know you could have prevented. Please. And if we don't go back to America and choose to stay here instead, we can't- we'll have-"

Cassandra broke down into a dry sob. She was holding back the tears, a hand to her face to hide herself from the world. Liam got up and walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He then turned and looked at McGonagall. There was something about his gaze that was powerful and piercing.

"We'll have no future," he finished. "I mean, it's a bit late for us to transfer to a muggle school and I'm pretty sure a muggle high school isn't going to accept credit for classes like Transfiguration or Potions. They'd think we're insane. You're a teacher, a Headmistress no less. Do you really have it in your heart to give us only two options? Die trying to finish our education or cut our education short and live without a future?"

They were right.

She didn't have it in her heart to simply deny them their lives and their future. Especially when she knows she could help them. She opened the folders and looked at the transfer papers. Pushing that unsettled feeling in her gut to the far corner of her soul, McGonagall signed the papers with the pen Mr. Jenkees offered. After they signed in all the proper places, she watched as he gave the papers back to Cassandra to put away.

Once the papers were in her hands, Cassandra smiled before looking up at McGonagall. A quiet whispered "thank you" escaped her lips. Liam only looked up at her and smiled. No words were exchanged. The only noise from them was the scuffle of chairs and the clinking of glasses as they got up. McGonagall sighed through her nose before she reached for her bag and pulled out two envelopes and gave them to Liam and Cassandra.

"These are your school letters. Inside are a list of supplies which you can get at Diagon Alley, along with the list of school rules and directions to get to Hogwarts. If you need help, don't hesitate to owl me. There is also a list of classes in the letter. Look it over and choose the classes you would like to have. Your schedules will not be finalized until you are properly sorted into a house at Hogwarts. Once you arrive at Hogwarts, the both of you are to go with rest of the first years and you will be sorted with them. We will try to fit you in with the rest of the students as seamlessly as possible without any pomp and circumstance. The train leaves the station at 11 'o' clock sharp, so don't be late."

When Liam and Cassandra got their letters, Cassandra thanked her politely before she immediately placed her letter in her bag. Liam immediately tore open his letter. A sharp cough from Mr. Jenkees made him stop and realize: McGonagall was still there. "Liam, do you have anything to say?"

Closing his envelope hastily, Liam gave McGonagall an apologetic smile. "Sorry, got a bit excited. I mean, Hogwarts, how can anyone not be excited?" he said, "And thank you, Headmistress for taking us."

McGonagall only nodded. "I'll see the both of you on the first of September. Goodbye, Mr. Jenkees."

Then after a quick nod to Neville Longbottom and his wife, she was gone.

xxx

He felt a rush of excitement once the Headmistress left. Liam was grinning from ear to ear as he reopened his letter, his fingers refusing to move as fast as he wanted them too. It was so easy, so easy to convince her to let him and Cassandra into her school.

Ever since they arrived in England, he and Cassandra have been preparing their stories for Hogwarts. After all, a good spy needs to know how to lie and keep his lies straight and narrow. So far the story they have spun was simple. They transferred over from America to England for personal issues and if any of the students pried they will tell them to talk to McGonagall. The both of them were sort of step-siblings and they have never set foot in England all their lives.

Now that Liam thought about it, their story really wasn't a story at all. It was the truth with parts of it carefully inked out. Parts such as the fact that they are responsible for some of the deaths Toadstool and that they were part of a secret society known as the "Witch Hunters". It wasn't lying. It was omitting parts of the truth.

"Never knew you were such a good actress, Cassandra," said Liam as he reached for a lollipop in his jacket pocket. He unwrapped the sweet before putting it in his mouth. Strawberry flavored. Mmm, his favorite. Right after blueberry. "If I may offer a few helpful suggestions, or at least one? Tone down a bit on the sob and you wouldn't seem quite as melodramatic."

"Shush," hissed Cassandra. "The bartender's looking at us, so is her husband. Last thing I want is for them to run off telling the Headmistress that we're acting all shady or something."

Liam dared a glance at the bartender. True to her observation, the woman was looking at them while wiping off the table they had been sitting at while her husband - Neville was it? – put the pitcher of water away. Giving the both of them one of his smiles, Liam was about to turn back to the letter in his hand when all of a sudden Cassandra took it from him and started reading. She skipped the introductory letter, tossing it carelessly back to him, and went straight to the supply list. After a few seconds she turned and looked at her uncle. "Is it alright if we go grab our supplies now? Diagon Alley's right there, we might as well go now rather than wait and forget."

"The both of you go ahead." Mr. Jenkees was looking at his wristwatch, frowning, before he sighed and shook his head. "Cassandra, give me the transfer papers. I'm going to owl these right away. Here's a bag of wizard money, spend it wisely. And don't go off buying yourselves an owl. I know the both of you need an owl to keep yourselves updated with the ongoings in America, but I'll buy one for you. Knowing you Cassandra, you're going to get the cutest one you can find, Liam is going to get one as big and showy as possible and the both of you will end up the most expensive one you can get your hands on."

As he said this, Mr. Jenkees gave Cassandra a deep purple bag filled with gold and silver coins while she gave him the transfer papers in exchange. "I'm also going to send him confirmation that the both of you made it into Hogwarts. And you have two hours. Remember that? Two hours, that is all the both of you have to shop. So don't dawdle or waste any time."

"Aye, aye, captain," said Liam.

Mr. Jenkees shot Liam a warning looking before he turned around. Before leaving the pub, Mr. Jenkees nodded at Neville and Hannah. The both of them watched Mr. Jenkees until he left the pub, the bells twinkling merrily once he left.

Once his guardian was gone, Liam turned and grinned at Cassandra. "So, let's explore then shall we?"

xxx

Diagon Alley was a vastly different place than any other wizarding community Liam has ever been in. And Liam had to admit, it was a rather charming place indeed. Charming in a rather, disgusting way. Twirling the lollipop in his mouth, Liam glanced around the shopping area, trying to absorb as much of the place in as possible. He had come to the conclusion that Diagon Alley was the love child of the modern muggle world of London and the old medieval magical London. An awkward hybrid that was both fascinating yet repulsive. "It's like a trainwreck, only prettier," he said to no one in particular, "No. Not a trainwreck. It's Main Street, U.S.A. Disneyland."

Disneyland indeed. Only the street was narrower and everyone was dressed in robes and pointed hats. All around him, Diagon Alley was in a buzz. Shoppers were rushing about, some of them trying to get to work while others were doing back to school shopping. There was talk about how the prices of things have gone up due to inflation. "Mark my words," said a witch to her balding husband, "If the price of beetle eyes go up so does everything else." Little witches and wizards were running about, comparing their chocolate frog cards. "I've got Harry Potter, mum! Look!"

Liam couldn't help but chuckle as the little girl's mom reprimand her for opening all of the chocolate frogs she had bought just to find a Harry Potter card. The air smelled like chocolate as the escaped sweets hopped towards their freedom. Still, Liam had to admit, there was personality to Diagon Alley. A personality he didn't find back in Washington – the wizarding communities there were just pathetic. A personality that wasn't as in your face as Las Vegas – though he'll admit, he liked the Sin City feel it had. A personality that wasn't so modernize like in New York. And dare he admit that he kind of liked this place and all its Disney-esque charm? It was going to suck the big one destroying Diagon Alley. But no matter how shiny and pretty and fantastical Diagon Alley appeared to be, the fact of the matter is that at its core is a dark and evil soul. Magic is evil. Period. Unless a witch or wizard turned themselves over for redemption, they are evil and must be purified. Period. Liam couldn't help but shiver when he remembered where they were.

England is the source of this evil, this pureblood mania where for years muggles and halfbloods were forced to live in fear. He still couldn't believe that the Saint trusted him, Cassandra and her uncle enough to put them in charge of taking down England. It was an honor.

As he and Cassandra walked past the ice cream store, wafts of sugar and chocolate made Liam pause and sniff the air. He took the lollipop out of his mouth and grinned as he watched a group of eleven year olds walk out of the store with a mountain of ice cream heaped onto their cones. "Hey, Cass? Let's grab some ice cream."

Cassandra glanced up from the supply list and gave Liam a withering look. "Let's not. We only have so much money to spend and none of it is to spend on ice cream."

Liam pouted. His bottom lip quivering ever so slightly as he widened his eyes. "Come on Cassie, please? I mean if we spend all of our money, we can owl the Saint and ask him for more. You know he'd send us some extra pocket money. Please?"

"The money Uncle Jenkees gave me is the money the Saint gave for us to spend. Here's the note if you want to read it. I think he got tired of you asking him for a few spare Galleons every month. Anyways," Cassandra looked up from the supply list and was looking around Diagon Alley as if she was just finally taking a real good look at her surroundings, "Do you want to split up? Actually, no, we should buy things together. I mean, we still need to figure out- Do you suppose we can just use our schedules from Toadstool? That would make things so much easier. Of course, I'm pretty sure if we don't have books for a certain class, they'll provide us with loan copies until we have our own books. Brianna told me that for Beauxbatons, that's what the Headmistress there is doing. And Sang Min, he told me that in the Yin and Yang Dragon Academy, the students don't even have to buy books. Wish they did that here, I mean-"

As Cassandra continued fussing over the quickest possible way to buy supplies, Liam continued to look around Diagon Alley. The lollipop was back in his mouth now and his mind was back to wandering. He loved Cassandra, he really did. She was the little sister he never had but the girl was so uptight and no fun at times he couldn't stand it. Still opposites attract and that must be the reason why neither of them has hexed each other to death yet. Or at least asked the Saint to change partners for their assignments rather than stick with each other.

"James! Give it back!"

"You're going to have to catch me first! Come on Albus, I know you can run faster than that."

"James, I mean it! Give it back before I hex you!"

"Hey, mum! Did you hear what Albus just said? He said he's going to hex me! Punish him!"

"James, give your brother back his Prefects badge."

Liam quirked an eyebrow as he turned to see what all the commotion was about. It didn't take long to spot the family of three walking past him and Cassandra. Like everyone else, they were dressed in wizard's robes but for some reason, they stood apart from the rest of the crowd. Liam watched as the older brother, who he assumed was James, scoff and rolled his eyes. He tossed the badge carelessly back to his younger brother, before running a hand through his messy black hair. "Aw, come on, mum. I was just pissing with, Al the ickle prefect here. That's all."

To that, Albus glared at his older brother, his green eyes showing extreme annoyance, before tucking away his prefects badge. "He's lucky I really didn't hex him," he grumbled, once he was certain his badge was safe. Patting the pocket of his robe one last time, Albus then turned to his mother, a woman with red hair that seemed out of place with her two sons.

"Mom, do I really have to go visit Uncle George, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione? I agreed to meet with a friend at Flourish and Blotts and I really don't want to sit through another hairbrained prank Uncle George comes up with just because he hates me for being sorted into Slytherin," said Albus, falling into step with his mother, making sure that they were just out of earshot behind James.

Albus's mother shook her head before looking down at her son with a tired but compassionate smile. "Al, your uncle does not hate you for being sorted into Slytherin. He just finds it funny that you are."

"It's been six years now, the joke's running thin and I'm getting tired of it."

His mother sighed before she stopped. She looked at her son before reaching up and rubbing her thumb across the side of his nose gently. "You've got a spot of dirt there," she said as Albus pulled away, saying something about how it's embarrassing. His mother chuckled before pulling him into a hug that Albus quickly pulled again, this time saying telling her not to do that in public. "Come on, Al. Your father and sister are waiting at the joke shop and I think James has already made a beeline for the new items. It's only a quick visit then you can head off to see your friend, deal? Just ten minutes, then you can leave."

Liam couldn't help but chuckle at the same time as Albus's mother as the boy rolled his eyes dramatically but said nothing. "Joke shop, eh?" said Liam as he finished off his lollipop. He turned back to Cassandra, only to see her reading the course description section of their letter. "Hey, Cassie, let's stop by the joke shop."

Cassandra's eyes stopped skimming the page and she looked up at Liam. "The joke shop? You meant that as a joke, right?" When Liam shook his head, Cassandra rolled her eyes almost as dramatically as Albus did before she looked back to the course descriptions. "No, we are not wasting time in the joke shop. And I've decided that we're both taking the same classes. Transfiguration. Charms. Defense Against the Dark Arts. Herbology. Potions. You know, the basic classes. We haven't discussed what our cover story for what we want to be when we grow up yet, so I'm guessing these should be good enough. Now, it's off to Flourish and Blotts. I think we can put our books on hold while we go buy the rest of our supp- Liam, where are you going?"

Waving his hand casually, Liam made a peace sign at Cassandra. "I'm going to the joke shop, Cass. Peace out," he said, without looking back at her. She can have fun doing all the boring shopping by herself if she's going to be so uptight about it. As for him? He's been meaning to check out the joke shop for a while now. Spying on the family he just eavesdropped on was just an added bonus.

Hands in his pocket, Liam quickly made his way through the crowd of witches and wizards. Pretty soon, he was moving effortlessly towards the gaudiest looking shop in the entire Alley. If Diagon Alley was Main Street U.S.A, Disneyland, then the joke shop was the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Eye catching and hard to miss. Liam's mouth fell open as he looked at the store front. It was oddly out of place in Diagon Alley and stuck out like a sore thumb. A giant head ontop of the door with the arm sticking out of the window, holding a hat to reveal a rabbit ontop of the head.

"Weasely Wizard Wheezes. If this was Vegas, I wouldn't be impressed. But since this isn't Vegas I am impressed. Impressed by the outrageous tackiness and at the fact that lady luck still favors me," said Liam as he pulled out another lollipop from his jacket pocket, watermelon this time, "Today must be my lucky day. Weasely, eh? Cassie's going to be jealous when I tell her I found them first." Sticking the lollipop in his mouth, Liam entered the store.

Crowded would be an understatement in describing the shop. Wall to wall from the ground floor to the second, were moving bodies and clamoring patrons. Liam winced and gasped as he forced his way through, looking every which way for the two boys and their mother. It was worst than playing needle in the hay stack. There were loud bangs, whizzes and cracks all around him. A jostle of boys who looked no older than ten were laughing as they ran about with beards growing on their chin. A group of teenage girls were goggling over a wall filled with bright pink and purple items. They were squealing over how the Daydream Charms were so romantic and realistic. One of them was debating whether or not she should buy a Love Potion for her crush, a certain James Potter. Liam chuckled. Thank heaven none of the girls at Toadstool will ever see this store. They would go insane over the products on that wall.

"Not down here," said Liam once he was certain that the people he was following weren't anywhere on the first floor. "Maybe upstairs?"

As he made his way towards the stairs, Liam continuously turned around to make a quick scan of the first floor. He didn't realize that a girl was rushing down the stairs, carrying an armload of tiny boxes. The both of them collided and the girl dropped everything she had been holding.

A brilliant flash of color exploded through the store as brightly colored faeries zoomed back and forth, trails of sparkling stars following behind them. Magenta. Violent. Cyan. Lime green. Everywhere the fairies flew, their trails colored whatever surface it touched with that color. Everyone in the store had stopped whatever they were doing to watch in delight and wonder. Children were squealing in delight and the teenagers were already reaching into their multi colored pockets for the galleons to buy whatever it was that's doing this.

Liam watched in horror at this mishap. Once the shock had worn off, he tried to reach for the fairies to stop them. But when he grabbed at a passing orange one, his fingers went through the fairy and came out orange. "What the-"

The girl was looking just as shocked but soon she was giggling. Liam turned and looked at her as if she was crazy. Her entire face and hair was colored with splashes of randomness. Sometimes blue until a green fairy zips by and then it was pink when an pink one passes through. "This is kind of funny isn't it? Makes you feel sort of giddy just watching it all."

If she meant giddy as in headache inducing and psychedelic, then giddy would be word to describe what Liam was feeling right now. "Listen, I am so sorry for running into you," he said, swatting at an angry red fairy. He only succeeded in giving his face a nice tomato blush. "I should have-"

Before Liam could continue, a booming voice was heard from the top of the stairs. "And that, ladies and gents is the Weasley Wizard Wheeze's latest creation: Sparkles the Rainbow Fairy. Have you ever wondered what you would look like with green skin? Or perhaps you want to have a good laugh and see that mean nasty bully with pink and purple skin. Or maybe you want to have a laugh and paint your teacher's classroom orange. Well, wonder no more because Sparkles will do it for you and then some. Perfect for parties. Pranks. A real crowd please and since it's our new item, we're selling them at an outstanding price that's affordable and fun. There are fifty colors to choose from so mix and match and have at it!" The speaker was a man with flaming red hair, and as he spoke the fairies started to fade and the colors began to disappear. Liam was more than glad to see his skin return to its normal fair color.

"That was fun, wasn't it? And it wasn't your fault. I wasn't looking when I..." The girl's voice trailed off and Liam looked up from his hand to see why. Now that the rainbow vomit from the fairies was done and over with, Liam was finally able to take a good look at the girl he ran into.

She was a pretty girl with bright autumn red hair and brown eyes. Dots of freckles could be seen across the bridge of her nose and scattered lightly across her cheeks. Yes, she was pretty girl indeed and as they stood there in silence, a light blush began to form across her face. It was as if she had suddenly realized this because she turned away and started picking up the boxes on the ground as fast as she could. "I am so sorry for running into you. I should have been looking where I was going."

Liam chuckled. So that's why she lost her train of thoughts. Kneeling down, Liam began to help pick up the miniature boxes. The two worked in relative silence. Just as the girl reached for a box, Liam deliberately reached for the same one.

Their hands touched and the blush across the girl's face turned even redder making Liam smirk. She uttered a quick sorry and was about to pull her hand away when Liam quickly grasped her hand in his. Gently he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "An angel like you should never say sorry, because angels have no faults. And if I may ask, what is your name?"

Another blush.

"Lily, Lily Potter."

Lily Potter. A surge of excitement swept throughout Liam's entire body when he realized that the girl he was flirting with was the daughter of the one and only Harry Potter. Cassandra was going to be seriously jealous when she realizes that he had found members of the Weasley family and members of the Potter family all in one day. Hiding his victorious smirk behind a smile, Liam stood up, his hand never leaving Lily's. "Well then, Lily Potter, allow me to escort you back up-"

"I am s-s-s-s-sick and tired of this-s-s-s!"

Liam and Lily turned to see a boy making his way down the stairs of the joke shop. His face looking oddly snakelike. His face was covered in green scales, his tongue was forked and his nose was nothing but nostril slits. Even though it was rude, Liam couldn't help but chuckle. Whatever charm was placed on the other boy, it was certainly amusing.

"Oh come on Albus, it's just a little joke. Live a little, will you?" the man speaking was the same man who introduced the Sparkle the Fairy line. He was standing at the top of the stairs, a goofy grin on his face, his wand in one hand and a mirror in the other. "Besides, don't chuck mirrors around. That's seven years worth of bad luck."

"Besides, I think it's a bit of an improvement on your usual looks, Al. I mean, now you can prove to the rest of those gits in your house that you're a true Slytherin," the second speaker was a boy Liam recognized. It was Albus's brother, James. He was standing behind the man, holding his sides laughing.

Albus shot a glare at his brother and the man. "Shut your mouth, James-s-s-s!" The hiss only made James laugh even more but Albus ignored it as he turned to the man. "And no, Uncle George. This-s-s-s is-s-s-s not a joke, this-s-s-s i-s-s-s haras-s-s-s-sment and - ugh! I'm leaving!"

Seething with anger, Albus made his way past Liam and Lily without looking once their way. He pushed past the customers who had dared stop to see what was going on.

"Albus! Wait!"

Running past Liam and Lily and following behind Albus was a man who shared the physical appearance as James and Albus. The same dark hair, that was messy like James and the same green eyes as Albus. The man managed to catch up with his son and grabbed him by the shoulders. That only stopped Albus momentarily because the other boy immediately yanked himself away from his father.

"Albus, please. I know you're upset and I know what Uncle George did was uncalled for but you don't have to act-"

"No," said Albus, refusing to turn around. "Mom s-s-s-said that I only had to s-s-stay for ten minute-s-s-s-s. Well it's-s-s-s been ten minutes-s-s, and I'm tired of all thes-s-s-se lame jokes-s-s. I'm going to Flourish and Blotts-s-s." Before his father could stop him, Albus pushed through the crowd of customers and out the door of Weasley Wizard Wheezes.

Liam watched as the man sigh before running a hand through his hair. When he turned around, Liam noticed something that sent another rush of exciment through his veins. A lightning bolt scar, there on the man's forehead. Forcing himself to remain calm, Liam told himself that for all he knows the scar could be a fake. But then again, he was standing next to Harry Potter's daughter. So the chances of that man being Harry Potter were very high, very high indeed.

When the man turned around and made his way back upstairs he smiled tiredly at Lily. "Having fun, Lils?"

Lily nodded, "Lots of fun, dad."

This was when Liam realized that he and Lily were still holding hands. Quickly he lets go before Harry could notice. When Lily confirmed that the man was her dad. Liam was ecstatic. Cassandra would be triply jealous now. Serves her right for being so down and boring about things. Harry only smiled before he told Lily that he bought her a new Sparkle Fairy set since she had dropped hers before walking back upstairs. As he walked up, James walked down and came to a stop next to Lily.

"Hey, Lils. Rose, Hugo, Fred, Roxanne, Uncle George and I are having a vote. Albus's snakeface was funny and not out of hand and that Albus is just being a baby by overreacting. Yay or nay?"

For a moment Lily looked flustered. It was as if she knew the right answer was 'nay' but with James standing there she was going to be coerced into saying 'yay' sooner or later. So Liam decided to step in.

"If my vote counts, I say yay. That was a clever bit of magic your uncle did there. How much for one of those snakeface mirrors?"

James practically beamed at Liam's vote. He clapped Liam on the shoulder before folding his arms across his chest, looking at Liam as if to size him up. "I like you. This bloke here's got a decent sense of humor, Rose, unlike some goody two shoes we know!" James was shouting to a girl with bushy red-brown hair and brown eyes. She was decently pretty but nowhere near pretty as Lily. Her ears were slightly too big and her teeth were bucked tooth.

"That joke was tasteless. The both of you know that even though Albus is in Slytherin, he is absolutely terrified of snakes ever since you mistakenly slipped a live snake instead of a magical rubber one into his bed after he got sorted," said Rose with narrowed eyes, "Anyways, I'm done wasting my breath with you think headed ogres. I'm going to the back room. Come on, Lily, let's leave these ogres to their stupidity."

When Rose turned to leave, a look of disappointment crossed Lily's face. Liam winked at her again before mouthing the word "Go" to her. Seeing that, Lily smiled and made her way up the stairs. No doubt to tell her friend, or cousin, about him. "See ya, Shawty," said Liam under his breath once Lily was out of sight. The smell of her perfume still lingered in the air. A delicate flowery smell.

"Flirting with my sister, I see."

Busted.

Liam looked up to see James still standing next to him with a grin, arms still folded across his chest as he leaned against the staircase. Placing his hands up, Liam chuckled nervously. "Hey, no harm, no foul. She's a pretty girl and if I knew she was your sister, I wouldn't even think twice about flirting with her. Hell, I wouldn't even think once."

James chuckled as he pushed himself off the staircase and offered Liam his hand. "The name's James. James Sirius Potter." Before Liam could take his hand to shake, James pulled it back and ran his hand through his hair instead, "Ah! Too slow."

That made Liam laugh as he settled to twirling the stem of his long gone lollipop in his mouth. "Liam," he said after a few seconds, "Just call me, Liam."

"Liam, hm?" said James thoughtfully. Another bit of silence as he looked at Liam as if to scrutinize him. "You're not from Hogwarts are you?"

Ah how to answer that question.

Taking the chewed up lollipop stem from his mouth , Liam shook his head. "Nope. I'm from America though. Toadstool Academy to be exact. Just moved here into England a few days ago with my friend."

When Liam told James that he was from America, the other boy looked as if he had just found a new puppy to play with. Reaching out, James placed an arm around Liam's shoulder and turned him up so that they were facing the top of the stairs. "Mum! Dad! Uncle George! Liam here's a Yank. Can we keep him?"

There was a rouse of laughter as the man known as Uncle George looked down at the two of them. Immediately he was running down the stairs and came to a stop next to Liam and James. After observing Liam for a bit, Uncle George grinned before turning back to the top of the stairs where the rest of the family was standing. "Hey, Angelina, love. Before Harry agrees to let James keep him, can we claim him first?"

Uncle George's wife, Angelina, a pretty black woman with mocha skin and black eyes, rolled her eyes before telling her husband to go back to work and to stop harassing the customers. James's mother, only told her son that all the pets he ever kept died or ran away and that Liam was not a pet.

"I wasn't going to keep him as pet, mum, sheesh. Give me more credit than that will you? I was going to tell her that I want to keep you and get rid of Albus." With a deep sigh, James turned to Liam sharply, the comic grin now back on his face. "Anyways, do you play Quidditch?"

Even though Liam abhorred riding a broomstick, much less riding a broomstick at top speed while chasing either a red ball or tiny little gold one while dodging cannonballs, he nodded. "On occasions. I'm a decent chaser but everyone tells me that I should play seeker instead."

"Perfect," said James, slapping Liam on the back. "Nicholas is sick at home today and Zachary's off on vacation. I seriously was going to commit suicide if I have to spend one more day with the family, so let's go to the Quidditch shop. Don't think my parents are going to notice that I'm gone."

When James ran down the stairs, Liam grinned when the other boy stopped and told him to hurry it up. Placing his hands in his pocket, Liam couldn't help but feel incredibly unsettled as his grin became Cheshire-like. He was excited. Too excited. It felt as if at any moment he would burst with anticipation. It was easy, so much easier than he expected to make friends with the Potter and Weasley children.

Oh yes, Liam was feeling incredibly unsettled indeed.

"Hey, wait up!" he shouted before following James down the stairs and out the door.

xxx

Flourish and Blotts

Diagon Alley, London, England

July 1 : Defense Against the Dark Arts Section : 1:45

"Idiot. Moron. When he comes back, I am going to strangle him. Boil him alive. Lazy. Annoying."

A stream of curses slithered their way through Cassandra's lips as she paced back and forth between the aisles of Flourish and Blotts bookstore. She was furious, absolutely furious at Liam for leaving her like that. And for what? A joke shop? There was plenty of time to see the joke shop after they got the more important things out of the way first, like say... back to school shopping? But no. The boy had an attention span that was worse that of a squirrel and that was an insult because Cassandra knows how short a squirrel's attention span could be.

So while Liam was off dilly dallying, Cassandra was forced to bustle about buying stuff for school. Cauldrons. Potions ingredients. Gloves. Parchment. Quills and fresh bottles of ink. And within a little more than an hour she was able to buy most of the supplies for school. She was certainly a sight to see: a little girl bustling about Diagon Alley carrying a ton of bags. What's worse she had to buy two of everything since not only was she buying supplies for herself, but for Liam also. Several people offered to help her but she politely denied them each time. She was angry to a point where she wanted to be miserable; miserable so that when she sees Liam she can yell at him properly.

When she got to Flourish and Blotts the kind witch behind the counter saw her and her bags. Immediately the witch told her to leave her supplies with her so that she can shop in peace. Cassandra was about to say no when she realized it was ridiculous carrying all her stuff and juggle all the books at the same time. So she placed her bags with the witch and went off looking for her school books.

"Now where is that stupid book?" said Cassandra as she glared daggers at the booklist in her hand. "Dumbledore's Army: The Guide to Self Protection Against the Dark Arts by Hermione Granger." Cassandra looked up from the list at the wall of books in front of her. She was in the right section. Now where was that-

Stepping back, Cassandra squinted her eyes. There at the very top shelf was a black book with gold lettering. "Dumbledore's Ar- There you are!" Relief washed over her as Cassandra felt her frustration melt away. These little victories were exhilarating. Now how to get the book down from the top shelf?

Looking cautiously left and right to see if the shop workers or some patron was around to see her, Cassandra grinned when she saw that there wasn't. Then placing one foot firmly on the shelf, she pulled herself up. Stretching herself as far as she could, Cassandra felt the binding of the book brush against her finger top. Just a bit further. A bit further and-

CRACK!

THUD!

Cassandra winced in pain when she fell on the ground hard. Flashing lights and stars danced around her head as she tried to stabilize herself. That was the last time she tried to do that again. Nausea and a rolling headache. She can't sit up. Now she just had to lay down for a bit. Just as she was about to put her head back down on the ground, a hand caught her and carefully helped her sit up.

"No, no, I'm fine, really," said Cassandra, trying her best to wave off whomever it was that came to her rescue.

"No, you're not," said the person, a boy from the sound of his voice. "You fell and slammed your head against the bookshelf before falling flat on the floor. Now, let's see if you're really fine or not. How many fingers am I holding up?"

The world was a blur and Cassandra could see the fuzzy image of a boy. He was holding his hand up in front of her. What was the question again? When she saw his fingers she remembered as the world went back into focus. "Three. And you just changed it to four. Now two."

Satisfied with her answer, the boy pulled back and nodded once. He then got up and placed a hand out for her, "Exactly which book were you trying to get anyways?"

Shaking her head, Cassandra ignored the boy's hand and got up before she gave him the booklist. "There, that one by Hermione Granger."

The boy only glanced at the booklist before he pointed down the aisle. "You mean that one over there by the display table?"

Cassandra turned in the direction the boy was pointing. True enough, there was a stack of books at table and surprise surprise, they were the books she needed also. A hot flush began to make its way across Cassandra's face as she muttered an embarrassed "oh". She must have been so angry to have noticed those books because she could have sworn she walked past that table at least five times. When the boy gave Cassandra back her list, she muttered a thank you before walking towards the books.

"Don't be embarrassed," said the boy as the followed her, "I've been watching you for a while. Bad day?"

"You can say that," said Cassandra as she grabbed two copies of Dumbledore's Army.

Before she could look back at her list, the boy spoke again. "Weeds, Herbs and Man Eating Plants by Pomona Sprout is down that way. Charmed Charms by Luna Lovegood is down that aisle. Want me to show you where they are so you don't walk past them again?"

Turning to face the boy, Cassandra gave him a long hard tired stare. He was handsome, she'd give him that much. Blonde hair, fair skin with clear gray-blue eyes and a gentle smile. Yes, he was definitely handsome. But whatever handsome charm he possessed it wasn't going to work on her. She had been around Liam for far too long for something as cheap as charisma and good looks to affect her.

"No thanks, I can find them myself," she said, shifting the books in her arms a bit, "But, thanks for the help and for the offer. I'm fine though. So..."

Cassandra trailed off not because she had lost herself in the boy's eyes. She had lost herself and her train of thoughts yes, but for an entirely different reason. Walking into the bookstore was a boy who looked like he was half snake half human. His entire face was covered with green scales, his nose was slits and his eyes were yellow with slit-like pupils. He was wearing a sour and angry look that made Cassandra's bad day pale in comparison.

The boy turned around also, his eyes widened slightly before he turned, trying his best to hide the laugh that was about to escape. Once he composed himself he turned back to see the snake-boy walking towards them. "Hey, Al. Why the face?"

Al glared at the boy as he scratched his face in a half hearted attempt to get rid of the scales. "Shut it, Malfoy. I just had to deal with my git of a brother and my uncle laughing at me. The last person I need laughing at me is my best mate, alright?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm sorry," said Malfoy as he turned away from Al and Cassandra. He was laughing now, silently. From the way his shoulders were shaking and the way his hand covered his mouth, both Cassandra and Al knew that Malfoy was laughing.

Rolling his eyes, Al turned to Cassandra. If he had eyebrows they would be quirked. "Hey, Scorpius. Once you're done laughing, mind introducing me to your new friend?"

Once the last of Scorpius's laughter subsided, he turned around and cleared his throat. One look at Albus threatened to have him laughing again but Scorpius contained it. "I can't exactly introduce her, if I don't know her myself. I was just helping her get a book, that's all."

"You're useless," said Al with a sigh. He placed a scaled hand out for Cassandra to shake. But when he realized that the effects of the charm were traveling down his entire body he sighed and allowed his hand to fall limply to his side. "Albus Potter. I would shake your hand, but even I wouldn't want to touch it. The laughing idiot here is Scorpius Malfoy."

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy. When Cassandra heard both of their last names, she almost dropped the books she had been holding. She couldn't believe it. She was talking to Albus Potter, the son of the famous Harry potter and the boy she was suppose to make friends with at Hogwarts. Not only that but the boy who helped her was Scorpius Malfoy, son of one of the most infamous Death Eaters of all time, Lucius Malfoy. And they were best friends?

Looking from Albus to Scorpius with an open mouth, Cassandra tried to stop herself from asking the question, "How?" How did the both of them wind up as best friends when their fathers practically hated each other?

"I'm not an idiot," said Scorpius, "And you have to admit, if this was done on anyone but you, it would have been funny. Anyways, he's right. He's Albus and my name's Scorpius. And yours is?" He placed his hand out again for her to take.

This time Cassandra's lips tightened as she stared at Scorpius's hand. Then she reached out, took it, shook it briefly before letting go. "Cassandra Jenkees," she said quickly before she turned to Albus. Reaching out, she took his scaly hand and shook it also. "Pleasure to meet the both of you. Now, I really must continue shopping. My uncle is going to be here any minute and I really need to finish finding for me and my friend."

"Do you need help?" asked Albus, stepping forward politely.

"No it's really o-"

"She's fine," said Scorpius looking at Cassandra. He smiled a bit before patting Albus on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go get our books and then we'll head over to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor later. See you around, Cassandra Jenkees."

Cassandra watched as the two boys turned and walked to the opposite end of the store. She couldn't help but grin at the thought that she managed to meet Draco Malfoy's son and Harry Potter's son. Liam was going to be so jealous when he finds out. Serves him right for always thinking about fun before work. After walking around the store several times, making pointed attempts to avoid Scorpius and Albus in the process, Cassandra finally managed to finish finding all the books she and Liam would need. By the time she went to pay for her books, Scorpius and Albus were already gone.

"Just these, please," said Cassandra as she placed the pile onto the counter, "And how much do I owe you?"

The witch only smiled at Cassandra before shaking her head. "They've been paid for already."

Puzzled Cassandra reached over the counter and took the note the witch handed her.

_You look like you could use a random act of kindness to brighten your day. Stop by the ice cream parlor and ask for a Strawberry Float. It's the best. - S. Malfoy & A. Potter_

Feeling her face flush a bit, Cassandra shoved the card into her jean pockets and took the books from the counter. She had no intentions of going to the ice cream parlor, even with the promise of free ice cream. Gathering all her stuff, Cassandra gladly took the cart the witch offered for her to borrow and pushed everything out the door. Even so, why was she having this unsettled feeling?

It was as if, for once, she wanted to be friends with those Albus and Scorpius. Two wizards no less. And she had never wanted to befriend anyone in the magical world before. At least, anyone who wasn't part of the With Hunters.

Hopefully this unsettled feeling would go away soon because she can't afford to put her personal life in front of her duties as a Witch Hunter.


	3. Top of the Social Ladder No Gits Allowed

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Three: Top of the Social Ladder, No Gits Allowed**

**Author's Note:** What you don't recognize as J.K Rowling's, belongs to me. What you do recognize as J.K Rowling's, belongs to her. Critiques are loved. Reviews are loved.

Special thanks to:

**jesusfreak917: **For your review of my story and for telling me that you're enjoying the dynamics of it so far. That really made my day since I was pretty unsure about the relations and the tension level of the story. And to answer your question, I honestly don't know what's going to happen pairings-wise and what the end result of the romantic interludes between the characters will be. The only thing I do know is that my two OCs, Cassandra and Liam are not going to end up together. They'd probably kill each other before that happens.

**Alpha DragonWulf: **For putting my story on your favorites list.

xxx

Kings Cross Station

London, England

September 1st ; Parking Lot ; 10:24 am

xxx

September first came sooner than either of them had expected and that was an odd feeling indeed.

After all, it felt like yesterday when he and Cassandra went to Diagon Alley for the first time and had quite an adventure.

When the both of them met again outside the Leaky Cauldron to wait for Mr. Jenkees, the first thing they did was brag to each other in whispers about the people they had met. Liam was so sure that Cassandra would be green with envy when she realized that he had met the famous Harry Potter, flirted with his daughter and made fast friends with his son. He didn't expect Cassandra to grin and tell him that she had met Harry Potter's son too and Draco Malfoy's son. In an attempt to best her, Liam told Cassandra that he and James Potter hung out the entire time at the Quality Quidditch Supply Shop. She then told him that Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy paid for both of their textbooks before wrinkling her nose and said that he didn't even like Quidditch.

They continued their argument as to who bested each other that day all throughout the taxi ride home with Mr. Jenkees rolling his eyes constantly while the poor cab driver was secretly praying for a short a trip. When they got to their apartment the argument continued well into dinner time before Mr. Jenkees finally settled the matter.

He told them that he got to meet Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and that he was working with them at the Ministry thus he gets to meet them every single day while he was at work. So ha. He then threatened them that if they so much as argue back neither of them were going to have dessert. That effectively quieted the both of them instantly. That didn't' stop the glares though.

At the end of the day though, it didn't matter who bested who because the month of July and August flew by faster than either of them could imagine.

Their entire summer was spent lazing around London, making friends with the local muggle teenagers and going out to picnics and museums with them. It was during this time that Liam realized that the only time Cassandra ever really tried to make friends was when she was around non-magical people. In fact, he goaded to her when he caught her flirting with one of the boys. She only glared but the blush on her face says it all.

Not once during the summer did either of them return to the wizarding world. There was no denying the fact that the both of them were much more content with the muggle world than they were in the wizarding world. So content that by the time September first came, Liam overslept his alarm clock by a long shot and was rudely awaken by being tossed out of bed.

It was madness.

Pure utter madness the way he, Cassandra and Mr. Jenkees rushed about their apartment, grabbing their luggage and jamming it into their car. Their new owl, Apollo, was far from happy being thrown unceremoniously into the back seat of the car before Liam and Cassandra got in and slammed the door shut. The ride to Kings Cross Station was even madder.

Normally Mr. Jenkees avoided using magic in day to day lives but since they were running late he was pulling all the stops out on the rental ministry car. From making the car narrower to fit between the spaces to making the car go faster than it really should, he drove like a madman - running red lights and narrowly hitting cars. By the time they arrived at Kings Cross Station, Liam felt sick as if he had just been on a rollercoaster. And Liam hated rollercoasters.

"Hurry it up, Liam! We're already late!"

Cassandra was already out the door and rushing towards the trunk to grab their luggage. Apollo was hooting indignantly, ruffling his feathers and glaring at Liam. Liam only glared back. "Oh don't give me that look. I'm suffering too, you know," he muttered before grabbing the top of Apollo's cage and exiting the car also.

Once the luggage was loaded onto two separate trolleys, the three of them were running into King's Cross Station. It was frustrating trying to navigate through the crowds while making sure that the luggage doesn't fall off. Liam could only imagine what a sight the three of them were. Mr. Jenkees pushing a trolley full of luggage with an owl balanced on top of it all while Liam followed behind him trying to keep the trolley from veering to the left. Why is it that every time he was the one stuck with the broken cart? Cassandra was in the lead, pushing through the people making sure that they part ways so Liam and he uncle can pass through. Her eyes were looking up at the numbers on each Platform.

When they reached the pillars between platform nine and platform ten, the three of them came to a stop and looked around. There was platform nine and there was platform ten. Where's Platform Nine and Three Quarters?

"We are so going to be late," said Cassandra, looking at the nearby clock nervously. "We have twenty minutes left before the train leaves without us. Do you think we should ask for help?"

"Brilliant idea, Cassie," said Liam, reaching out to keep the luggage from topping off his trolley "While you're at it, why don't you ask the nice man over there which way to Oz?"

"Hey, it was just a suggest-"

"Follow me kids."

Liam and Cassandra turned to see Mr. Jenkees wheeling their cart towards a stone pillar. The both of them were about to shout at Mr. Jenkees to stop when all of a sudden, he was gone. Standing in silence, Liam turned to Cassandra, his mouth opened in puzzlement. "How did he know to do that?"

"I don't know." Cassandra took the trolley from Liam and was walking towards the pillar. "But then again, it's magic and he does work at the Ministry. I'm pretty sure he asked one of his co-workers how to get on the Platform. Anyways, let's go." She took off into a run and then like Mr. Jenkees, she was gone, swallowed up by the seemingly solid wall of stone.

Blinking once, Liam looked up at the platform numbers and counted off the pillars. He then grinned. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Why didn't I think of that?" he said to no one in particular. He looked at the barrier and started walking towards it. As he approached the wall, he closed his eyes. Even though he knew that he would pass through it, he still braced himself for the impact of walking into a wall. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes.

The entire world around him had changed.

The muggle train station had all but disappeared. The modern sleek trains were replaced by a single scarlet one with the words "Hogwarts Express" emblazoned in gold on it. The mass amount of people wearing jeans and t-shirts was replaced by families wearing cloaks and wizard robes. Liam couldn't help but feel excited. There was an energy in the air that was contagious.

All around him, witches and wizards were running about, checking and double checking luggage, greeting old friends and saying goodbyes to family. He could see a little girl, a first year by the looks of it, standing next to her father and clinging to his arm. Her eyes were wide with wonder. A group of fourth year girls walked past him towards the train. Liam couldn't help by try to look for the tell tale fiery red hair that belongs to Lily Potter. James should be around also and when a large wizarding family walked past, he kept his eyes open for the other boy. No such luck.

"Quit being a lazy bum and help us put these away."

Liam grunted when Cassandra suddenly dumped a suitcase into his arms before turning around and picking up two smaller bags. Grinning, Liam followed her to where the baggage was stored. "Work, work, work, that's all you ever do isn't it Cassandra? Can't you just take a few minutes to stand and enjoy the sights for once? I mean, take a look at the train. I'm pretty sure you can't even tell me what the color of the train is."

"It's red and it's named the Hogwarts Express. It's old fashioned and looks nothing like a modern day- can you get that in for me?" Chuckling, Liam helped pushed the luggage into the baggage compartment before loading his in also.

Now that everything was loaded, there was only one thing left to do.

As they made their way back to Mr. Jenkees, Cassandra ran up to her uncle and gave him a big hug. Liam couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Even though Mr. Jenkees always told Liam that they were like a family, Liam knew that he was always going to be outside. If things boiled down to a decision between him and Cassandra, Cassandra was the obvious choice.

"Alright, the both of you, behave yourselves, got that?" said Mr. Jenkees as he broke the hug with Cassandra. He then reached into his inside pocket of his business jacket and pulled out two envelopes. "Read those when you are alone. It's information that the both of you need to know. Do not lose it. I'll be owling the both of you updates on things at the Ministry and anything else he might want you to know but can't tell you directly. Remember it will be coded so read between the lines. I know the both of you are good at that. You've been doing it for years now. As for your friends in America, you are not allowed contact with them. At all. That means you, Cassandra. I know you've been owling Brianna and Sang Min all summer, that needs to stop once you get to Hogwarts."

When Mr. Jenkees mentioned Cassandra owling Brianna in France and Sang Min in China, Liam arched an eyebrow at her. So that's where Apollo has been all this time.

The train whistle blew and the conductor announced that in five minutes they will be leaving for Hogwarts. Mr. Jenkees sighed before he reached out and pulled Cassandra into another hug. "I'll see you over Christmas Break." After the hug, he turned to Liam and placed a hand out. "And have fun. I know you will."

Liam grinned but he didn't take Mr. Jenkee's hand. Instead, he took a step back towards the train just as its whistle blew again for the three minute mark. The conductor was yelling for everyone to climb aboard or be left behind. "Of course we are," said Liam to his guardian before he turned and took Cassandra by the wrist, "Come on, now you're the one that's dawdling."

"Liam!" Cassandra laughed as she and Liam began running towards the Hogwarts Express. As they climbed aboard, she turned and waved to her uncle, making Liam want to yank her onto the train. "If we don't hurry there's going to be no more seats left."

But just as soon as the words left his mouth, Liam saw a couple standing on the platform a little ways from Mr. Jenkees. A man with blonde hair and a face that would have been good looking if it wasn't for the distinctly ferret look he had. There was a woman standing next to the man, her head on his chest and his arm around her waist. She was pretty with dark hair and blue eyes but there was a natural hardness to her face that not even her smile could soften.

"Hey, Cassie, look. It's the Malfoys."

Cassandra paused in her waving and leaned forward a bit to see where Liam was pointing. Just as she turned to look at Draco and Astoria Malfoy, the train lurched and began its trip to Hogwarts. She nearly fell off the train if Liam hadn't caught her. When he pulled her back in, Cassandra's eyes were wide.

"Cass?" said Liam, shaking Cassandra on the arm slightly, "Cassandra, what's wrong?"

Shaking her head, Cassandra, pushed Liam away gently before she reached out and closed the train door. "Nothing," she said, "Got the wind knocked out of me when the train started moving. Do you want to find a seat together or-"

"Oyi! Liam, is that you?"

At the sound of his name, Liam turned to see James making his way down the aisle towards him and Cassandra. There was a look of thrill, excitement and delight on James's face as he came to a stop next to both of them. He was look at Liam only though, as if he didn't notice Cassandra standing there at all. "I thought you said that you didn't go to Hogwarts, that you went to some school in America and was only visiting England."

"I never said I was only in England to visit," said Liam with a grin. "And when we met, I wasn't technically a Hogwarts student yet." With James's arrival came a new and perfect opportunity to make friends and blend in with the student population. From what James told him at Diagon Alley, he was probably the most popular student at Hogwarts. A star Chaser on the Gryffindor House team, charmer of girls, envy of boys and, of course, son of the famous Harry Potter. Liam could definitely use James to his advantage. "Anyways, you got room for two more where you're sitting? Cassandra and I woke up late and almost missed the train."

It wasn't until Liam said that he needed two more seats did James finally turn and looked at Cassandra. He blinked once as if taken aback. As if to make up for ignoring her presence, he suavely ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up nicely before placing his hand out for her to shake. "James Sirius Potter. Any friend of Liam's is a friend of mine."

Cassandra's eyes hardened as she looked at James with faint disgust that Liam could see in the way the corner of her lips tightened. "Cassandra Jenkees. Charmed." From the way Cassandra looked at James's hand, it was obvious she didn't want to take it. But still she did and shook it briefly before letting go. Even though they both tried to hide it, both she and James wiped their hands on their clothes after the brief contact.

"Anyways," said James, turning immediately back to Liam, "I'm sitting in Compartment C. There's more than enough room for the both of you. I'll take you guys back there. Hopefully I'll find Zachary on my way back also. I was looking for him and found you instead."

As they followed James through the train aisle, Liam couldn't help but notice that Cassandra was less than pleased with the idea of sitting with James and his friends. When James was more or less out of ear shot, he turned to her. "Exactly what do you have against a guy you've met for less than five minutes? It's a new school Cassie, I know you don't like making friends with the students but you should at least make acquaintances. If not you're not going to have anyone to talk too. Not like in Toadstool where you have four other people to talk too besides me."

"You know those popular jocks you see on television? The airheads who think they are da shit? I never knew they existed until now. Did you see the way he blatantly ignored-"

"We're here! Oyi, Zachary, where have you been? I was looking all over the train for you. And everyone, scoot over. Make room for two more, will you?"

There were already two other students in the compartment when Liam and Cassandra arrived. The both of them were sitting on opposite sides of the compartment. There was a table conjured up between them, with paper scattered about on it. As James entered the compartment and sat down, the boy he had been looking for, Zachary, rolled his eyes before pushing James on the shoulder. "Don't shove," he said grinning, "I was in the luggage compartment. Nick here forgot his grab his notebook so I had to go look for it."

There was humor in Zachary's eyes, the humor of a trickster or a prankster as he held up the notebook he had gone to retrieve. He was James's age. Handsome, fit, with dark skin and eyes. His hair was in cornrows across his head. He was also muscular and toner than James was.

"The question we should be asking is 'where were you?'. We were about to start dibs on stories for the next issue of Hogwash without you. Actually, Rose already claimed dibs on the sorting before she left." The boy who spoke was also good looking but in an awkward sense. Tall, lanky with a good natured face that had freckles on it, the boy had shaggy mouse brown hair and light brown eyes. Next to him was a piece of parchment and a bright red quill whizzing back and forth on the paper and a camera hung around his neck. He was poring over the notes on the table before he finally looked up and noticed Liam and Cassandra. "And who are they?"

"These two, are going to be our next big story. Liam and Cassandra. Liam, Cassandra, meet Nicholas Creevy. His father, Dennis Creevy, is the head photographer of the Daily Prophet and his mum's a reporter there. Nick, here is the editor and founder of our school newspaper: Hogwash and Hoodlums. I came up with the title."

Nicholas arched an eyebrow at Liam and Cassandra while the quill next to him wrote their names down in large print before circling and writing the words "NEXT BIG STORY" beneath it all. He didn't seem convinced at all that they were the next big story.

"Didn't we agree that the big story for every first issue would be the sorting ceremony?" asked Nicholas before he reached out to stop the quill from drawing giant question marks all over the paper.

"Yea, but after years of writing about the sorting ceremony it gets dull doesn't it? I mean, what else can we say about the sorting ceremony? The song. The Headmistress's speech. Which first years are in which house and who are the Head Boy and Head Girl and the prefects." said Zachary as he got up to shake hands with Liam and Cassandra. "Zachary Jordan's the name." He and Liam low fived before shaking hands before he looked at Cassandra and grinned. She took his hand rather reluctantly but was taken aback when he pressed her hand to his lips. "And Quidditch is my game. I'm in charge of the sports section for Hogwash and beater for the Gryffindor house team."

"He's also the son of the Katie Bell, chaser for the Tutshill Tornado and his dad's Lee Jordan, the current head of the Department of Magical Games and Sport. We get free tickets every year to any game we want, even the World Cup that one time," added James with a broad grin.

Liam had to admit, he was impressed by the group he had just met. All of them were children of someone famous and all of them had some popular standing at Hogwarts it seems. Not to mention, if their newspaper was a success at Hogwarts – which Liam was willing to bet it was – then the power they had at Hogwarts was incredible. There was no weapon more deadly than the power of words. Cassandra on the other hand didn't seem impressed at all. In fact her eyes were moving from James to Nicholas to Zachary then back to James.

"Where's Albus?" she asked.

At her question, James shrugged and leaned back into the compartment chair, placing his hands behind his head. "Why should I care? I'm not my brother's keeper. If he wants to go off on his own, it's his problem. Not mine. Besides, we have a strict no Slytherins allowed rule for our little club. We also have a no gits rule. Speaking of gits here comes the King of Gits, now."

Everyone turned to see Scorpius Malfoy walking up the aisle from the back compartments. Zachary snickered while Nicholas rolled his eyes and turned back to the notes on the table. Liam moved slightly into the compartment and watched as Scorpius turned from looking out the window and finally saw him and Cassandra standing in the aisle. Scorpius arched an eyebrow before he grinned and walked over to the both of them.

Liam wrinkled his nose in disgust. The other boy looked just like his father. Only his hair was a darker shade of blonde, for which Liam was thankful for. Once he got to Hogwarts, Liam made a note in his mind to dye his hair black again.

"I knew you were a Hogwarts student," he said once he was close enough for them to hear, "Albus wouldn't believe me. We had a bet going on. I mean just because you haven't seen the person around at school or heard of them doesn't mean they aren't a student there. The school's big so you're bound to not see certain people." It was then Scorpius turned and saw Liam, he was about to ask who Liam was when James spoke up.

"Bugger off, Malfoy. We don't want the likes of you here fouling up the place."

Scorpius turned sharply and looked into the compartment. When he and James locked eyes, Scorpius sneered before he glanced at Zachary and Nicholas. "If you think I'm the one fouling up the atmosphere, you're living in a monkey house. Can't smell your own filth because you're busy drowning in your own egos?" He turned from the compartment and looked at Liam and Cassandra. The excitement in his eyes at seeing Cassandra became ice cold. "Didn't know you're friends with the likes of them, either."

As he walked past them, he purposely bumped into their shoulders and continued making his way up to the front of the train.

"That's Scorpius Malfoy," said James once Scorpius was gone. "His entire family is a family of criminals. His father was Death Eater, you know. Draco Malfoy? My father told me that Lord Moldy-butt sent Scorpius's dad to try and assassinate Dumbledore. If you know what's good for you, you won't associate yourself with him."

"Is that the reason why your brother isn't part of this little club of yours?" Cassandra's tone was agitated and annoyed. "Because he associates himself with Scorpius?"

James's eyes narrowed at Cassandra. It looked as if he wanted to hex her then and there. "No, it's because he's a Slytherin and Slytherins are the slime of Hogwarts."

There was a moment of intense silence as Cassandra and James glared at each other. Liam wanted to tell Cassandra that she was being an idiot. It was better to be friends with James than to go against him. But it seems as if she wouldn't have listened to him even if he told her to settle down.

"In that case, I hope I'm in Slytherin so I won't have to associate myself with the likes of you." She turned to Zachary and Nicholas and gave them both a polite nod. "It's nice meeting the both of you. Thank you for inviting me to join your club but the answer is no. Liam, I'm going to find somewhere else to sit."

Before Liam could stop her, Cassandra had already turned and was walking down the train aisle. He was completely dumbstruck. He wasn't sure if she was acting all this out pretending to hate James and his friends, or if she was so turned off by James and his friends that she was completely blind to the fact that they were useful to them. That or-

Liam grinned. That or she's making friends with Scorpius which was also to their advantage. Touché Cassandra, smart move.

Once Cassandra was gone, James scoffed. "Good riddance I say," he said before nodding at the empty seat next to Nicholas. "Have a seat, Liam. I don't understand how you can stand being seen in public around her. She's so... plain and ugly. Anyways, where's Rose and Lily? We can't exactly start dibs without them."

"Rose's is in prefects compartment. In case you forgot, she's the sixth year prefect for our house. Told me to tell you to watch your mischief before heading off. As for your sister, she's off with her friends. Said she'll join us once Rose is done with the Prefects meeting," said Nicholas. He then turned to look at Liam before he turned to James. "So how is he the next cover story for Hogwash? Is he the first male vela to ever be shown in public? Is he the great grandson of Lord Voldemort? Is he some mystical seer? What? As far as I know right now, he's just another student at Hogwarts."

James's grin grew as he leaned forward. "Even better," he said, pausing for suspense, "He's a transfer student from America."

There was a moment of silence. The Quick Quotes Quill was zipping across a fresh sheet of paper now, this time with Liam's name written on it and the words "Transfer student?" being written. Liam felt a smug satisfaction when he saw Nicholas and Zachary look at him while James was absolutely delighted by their reactions.

"Is that true or is James pissing with us, here?" asked Zachary. "You know most magical schools don't allow for transfers. The curriculums' different for every school and the last time Hogwarts allowed a student to transfer in was about seventy years ago and that was for an extremely special circumstance."

Liam smirked. "Guess that makes me and Cassandra the first two students in seventy years to transfer into Hogwarts then."

"I'd actually be more impressed if he was Lord Voldemort's grandkid," said Nicholas as he turned his full attention to Liam now. "So, are you free Saturday? Even if you aren't, make some free time at around five in the afternoon. I can schedule you in for an interview and tell your friend Cassandra to go with you. James might not like her, but I don't discriminate as long as it brings in a good story. We'll put your story next to the Welcoming story and the Sorting listings. I think we're getting a new Transfiguration teacher so there needs to be a balance between Liam and his friend's interview and the new teacher interview."

"Forget interviewing the girl. We'll just mention her in the story and be done with it," said James before he leaned back again. "I'm still writing the First Year's Guide to Surviving Hogwarts, column by the way. I've got some new ideas on how to mess with them. That was a laugh last year watching some of the first years actually following my guide."

"Yes, thanks to your guide, the Headmistress threatened to disband our newspaper," said Nicholas as the quill whizzed back and forth again. "Lily says that she's interviewing the new Transfiguration teacher and Rose is going to be in charge of the advice column again. Zachary, you need to get on talking with the Captains of the Quidditch teams so we can advertise open positions – you can go ahead and interview James right now actually."

"You know, why can't we just interview Liam now?" asked James waving a hand in Liam's direction. "He's sitting right there you know and you have your quill out and ready."

"Because, James, I actually like relaxing on the train ride to Hogwarts. I only want to worry about planning a basic format for Hogwash and then I want to either nap or think about something else, like maybe-"

Before Nicholas could finish talking, the compartment door opened and two girls were standing in the doorway. Two girls Liam recognized instantly. Rose was already changed into her school uniform, the prefects badge glistened on her chest as she walked in and gave Nicholas a piece of paper. "Prefect meeting's over," she said, "Here's the list like you asked for. And guess who I ran into on my way here?"

"Stalker Malfoy," said Lily as she walked into the compartment also. When she saw Liam, her eyes widened as her face started to turn red.

"Yea, Stalker Malfoy," repeated Rose as she took a seat next to James. "He was with another girl, so hopefully he'd taken the hint and stopped trying to flirt with me. I mean, I don't get how Albus can stand being friends with him. And Lily, sit down. If someone walks past now, they're going to run into you. And-" When Rose noticed Liam, she blinked before turning to James. "I thought you said he went to school in America."

"Well, he wasn't lying," Liam grinned and placed a hand out, shaking Roses's. "Liam. And I guess I'm the next big story for your newspaper since I'm transferring to Hogwarts this year." As Lily took a seat next to him, Liam smirked. He could feel her tensing up next to him, her hands in her lap and her eyes looking straight ahead. James was looking rather amused but the look in his eyes said it all. 'Don't even think about making a move on my sister until I say you can.'

"Transferring?" said Rose. She looked at James, Zachary and Nicholas didn't give her a reply, she folded her arms across her chest. "I'm guessing that no one here decided to ask him why."

"That is the first question, I'll be asking on the interview I have with him on Saturday," said Nicholas, gathering all of his notes and loose paper. Once everything was in a nice pile, he shoved the pile into his notebook. "And thanks for the list. I'll get to organizing everything later. Accio cards." A deck of cards flew from Nicholas's bag that was resting on the wire racks above the window. "So who's up for a game of Exploding Snaps?"

"Never played before so I think I'll sit out the first round." Liam leaned back into his seat and watched as Nicholas started to set up a game for Exploding Snaps for James, Zachary and Rose. With a grin he turned from the four other in the compartment to the girl sitting next to him. "So how was your summer, Lily Potter?"

Lily smiled, and Liam could see a cute dimple on the left corner of her mouth. "It was good..." she said, the rosy flush on her face still apparent. She turned to look at Liam but only for a moment before she turned and looked at her hands. "So what house are you sorted into?"

"I don't think he's sorted into a house yet, Lils," said Rose as she flipped a card over and began searching for its pair before the card "snapped" and exploded.

There had been talk about the houses at Hogwarts. Slytherin. Gryffindor. Liam never bothered asking about the houses before but now that they were asking him about it, he might as well get some answers. "Haven't been sorted yet. The Headmistress told me that Cassandra and I are getting sorted with the first years."

"Well, hopefully we'll see you in Gryffindor, mate," said Zachary, pulling his hand back as the cards on the table started to smoke. "It's the last decent house left at Hogwarts."

"Pretty much," added Nicholas, flipping the cards over as fast as he could before they exploded on him. "Hufflepuffs are a load of doffers and softies. Ravenclaw would have been a decent house but then now their reputation has plummeted. It's going to take them another year before their rep can recover."

"Which is a shame because the Sorting Hat said that I would have done well in Ravenclaw," said Rose, "Thankfully it decided to stick to tradition and put me into Gryffindor. Otherwise, I would have walked off the Astronomy towers already."

"And Slytherin is filled with dark witches and wizards and slimy gits who are traitors to their name," added James, without looking up from the game. "I can't believe Al, actually chose to be in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. You know what he told me when he got sorted? He told me that Dad said you can persuade the Hat to not sort you into a house. If that's the case then why did he let the hat sort him in Slytherin? Trust me on this, Liam. If you can persuade the hat to sort you in Gryffindor, do it. If you don't it's social suicide. Bunch of losers."

Right as one of the cards on the table exploded, Rose whacked her cousin on the arm. "Albus isn't a loser. Just because he has poor taste in friends doesn't mean that he's a bad person. He's your brother for Melin's sake!"

"Yes," said James, rubbing the spot on his arm Rose had smacked. "But your friends reflect the kind of person you are and if he chose to be best mates with Malfoy, then he has poor character. Yes, he is my brother and I love him. But as long as he chooses to be friends with Malfoy and as long as he's a Slytherin, I don't want to talk about him. I have to pretend to like the fact that he's in Slytherin at home, I don't want to pretend at school too. I don't care what dad says, Slytherins are foul. End of discussion. I mean, Lord Voldemort was in Slytherin. Look what happened to the Wizarding World thanks to the bloke."

While Rose and James continued their bickering, Liam rolled his eyes before he turned back to Lily. "Well I guess I'll be hoping to be in Gryffindor then. Is that the house you're in?"

Lily nodded. "My mum and dad were in Gryffindor also and the Sorting hat said that I would do well in their old house." She then glanced over to James before she leaned in closer to. Her voice dropped to a faint whisper. "But don't tell James that the hat also wanted me in Hufflepuff and that I actually like Hufflepuff. Even if he says there are like doormats are a bunch of doffers, they're really nice. And my friend Fiona says that their dorms are right next to the kitchen."

Liam grinned as he leaned in closer to her also. "And if your brother if your brother isn't here to glare at me," he whispered into her ear. He could breath in the scent of honeysuckles on a spring morning from her hair. "I would have asked you to join me in finding somewhere private so we can have an actual conversation." As he pulled away, the surprised look on her face made him want to laugh. "Don't worry, it's just to talk," he said before turning back to the game of exploding snaps.

Liam couldn't help but feel giddy. It wasn't even the first day of school yet and already he was standing at the top of the social ladder. It was the safest and most powerful place to be in with the influence over what the student population thought and believed. He had a girl, the daughter of the boy-who-lived, head over heels in lust with him. He was friends with James Sirius Potter.

Now he could only hope that Cassandra knew what she was doing, and doing it correctly.


	4. Welcome to Club Loser Population: Three

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Four: Welcome to Club Loser. Population: 3**

**Disclaimer: **Whatever belongs to JK Rowling, belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me, belongs to me. If you don't know what belongs to JK Rowling, go to google. Look up Harry Potter. Or just read the series.

**Special thanks to:**

**jesusfreak917: **For your second review and input on the pairings. XD As for which houses Cassandra and Liam will be sorted into, well, I'll honest. This chapter was originally going to be the chapter where the both of them would be sorted but when I typed everything out, it ran much longer than I thought it would. So I had to cut the chapter in half, which meant taking out their sorting. I am so sorry, but you're going to have to wait for next week to find out which houses they get into.

**Anamolly2013: **For your review, story alert and favorite. I'm glad that you like the "Witch Hunters" theme for my story. I was pretty much inspired by the idea of the Salem Witch Trials and a little of from watching the Brother's Grimm movie from so long ago. XD

**Aspieturtle:** For putting Witch Hunt on your story alert.

xxx

Hogwarts Express

Unknown Forest

September 1st ; Train Aisle ; 11:26 am

xxx

Jerks and jocks, all of them.

As Cassandra walked down the train aisle, she couldn't help but fume. Sure, she knew that Liam was right. She knew that she really had no right to judge James after just meeting the other boy for less than five minutes. But as the old saying goes: first impressions are lasting impressions. And to add on to that saying: it's easier to start off with a good reputation than to recover from a bad one.

James Potter had probably given one of the worst first impressions ever.

Cocky. Arrogant. Biased. Judgmental. Discriminatory.

Egotistical would have also been on the list, but Cassandra was used to big egos. She had been living with Liam ever since he was twelve after all, but at least Liam's ego was justified. The other boy was talented at magic and was a brilliant actor. He could blend into any social crowd like a chameleon and his personality was as slippery and changeable as water. It was because of his charisma and his talent that the Saint praised and prized him for along with his loyalty. Cassandra was willing to bet that's where the ego came from. So if Liam wanted to make friends with James Sirius Potter, he can go ahead and be her guest. Besides, Liam worked better when he was at the top of the social ladder. He knew how to manipulate people and use whatever he had to his advantage; he was better than her at all that.

Cassandra on the other hand, was a low-key and off the charts kind of person. There was a reason why she chose to be the quiet one back at Toadstool, the girl no one noticed. But Hogwarts wasn't Toadstool. Liam was right; it was only her and him working this leg of the mission. There wasn't Brianna, Sang Min, Mei or Gregory to rely on to gather information. So she was going take a leaf out of her best friend's book and change her act just a little bit.

If she was going to blend in with the rest of the students, she might as well do it with people she actually liked.

"Scorpius, wait."

The other boy didn't turn around once. He simply kept on walking, his head up and gaze held straight as he made his way towards the front of the train.

"Scorpius, will you just – Ouch, sorry for bumping in to you – Scorpius, I'm serious here. Wait."

Once she was close enough, Cassandra reached out and grabbed Scorpius by the arm, nearly lounging straight into him in the process. The grab was hard enough to jilt the other boy back at bit and force him to turn around and face her. The hard look of contempt in his eyes was enough to tell Cassandra that he wasn't happy to see her follow him. He pulled his arm away from her and shook it as if in fear of being contaminated by germs.

A second passed. Two seconds. Three.

When Scorpius didn't say anything or turn around and continued walking, Cassandra took this as her cue to start talking.

"Ok, so. One. I am not friends with anyone in that compartment aside from Liam, the blonde Asian boy. He's like a brother to me. If he wants to be friends with them, I'm not going to stop him. Two. James is an ass. I'm pretty damn sure that he's thrilled not to have me with them. And... uh...three. Thanks for paying for my books back at Diagon Alley. You really didn't need to do that."

Silence.

The only thing that could be heard was the clunking of the train as it raced across the train tracks and the occasion chatter of gossip from one of the compartment as the doors opened and closed. Scorpius looked at Cassandra, his gaze still skeptical as if he was analyzing the truth in Cassandra's statement. She felt like a bug under a microscope before his gaze shifted and he glanced behind her as if expecting to see James and his friends hiding somewhere.

More silence.

Thankfully it didn't last long because soon a loud chatter of students filing out of the train car could be heard after the sound of a compartment door being opened was heard. Students ages varying from fifteen to seventeen, already dressed in their school uniforms and wearing badges on their breasts were walking about, talking to each other while searching for their friends.

Immediately Scorpius turned around to face the group, his eyes searching each face that came out of the compartment. Cassandra arched an eyebrow, unsure whether or not she should ask him who he was looking for, in fear that he might still be suspicious of her. The last thing Cassandra wanted was to blow her chances at being friends with him and Albus.

"It only makes sense, you know, for him to be Head Boy."

"I know, I just wish he didn't have a girlfriend so I can go ahead and make my move on him."

"You know Nathan wouldn't dump her, right Fiona? And I thought that you liked Zachary."

"Psh, I moved on from Zack. I have no chance with him. Now, Lysander, I might have a chance with him if he wasn't so weird and younger than me."

Cassandra watched as two girls walked out of the compartment, one of them wearing robes with a red and gold tie while the other had a bronze and blue tie. The one with the red and gold tie had reddish brown hair that was sort of messy and brown eyes. She was a Weasely. Liam had mentioned her before but Cassandra had forgotten her name. Her friend, Fiona, was blonde with blue eyes. Even though she looked to be Cassandra's age there seemed to be some baby fat on her still, giving her a round childish face.

When Scorpius saw the Weasely girl – what was her name? Sheesh, how could she forget the name? – he immediately smiled. The coldness disappeared along with all skepticality. It was replaced instead by a nervous sort of suaveness as he half waved at her. Cassandra snorted, a bit amused when the Weasely girl refused to turn and look at Scorpius.

"Hey Rose, Rose!" he called. No response. Her conversation with Fiona had ceased when he called her name. Her lips tightened and a vague sense of annoyance could be seen in her eyes. She only smiled when a younger girl with bright red hair walked out of one of the compartments and joined her and Fiona.

Cassandra and Scorpius watched as Rose, Lily and Fiona continued walking. Just before they entered the other train carriage though, Rose turned around briefly to look back at Scorpius. There were daggers in her gaze before Fiona tapped her lightly on the arm and she continued walking, closing the door behind her.

"Let me guess," said Cassandra, looking at Scorpius while pointing down the aisle Rose had just walked down. "An ex-girlfriend you dumped and realized you loved and trying to get back with?"

Scorpius turned to Cassandra, apparently unamused. "More like a girl I've fancied since my fourth year whose friends hate my guts. Rose and I have been rivals for top grades since we first entered Hogwarts. She's smart, independent, pretty. She still thinks that we're rivals because she's a Weasly and I'm a Malfoy and that just because our dads hate each other we should hate each other. But I don't care, I still fancy her and by the end of this year I'm going to go on a date with her." As if he had said too much, Scorpius turned and continued walking down the aisle towards the front end of the car. "And come on, Jenkees, Albus is probably still in the prefects compartment. Let's go collect him."

Wrinkling her nose when Scorpius called her by her last name, Cassandra rolled her eyes. At least he invited her to follow him. So before he could change his mind, Cassandra followed, making sure to keep a bit of a distance behind him.

Albus was indeed still in the prefects compartment when they arrived. But he wasn't alone. There was another girl in the compartment with him. Like Rose and Fiona, Albus and the girl were in their school uniforms and had prefects badges pinned to their chest. The both of them were also wearing the same uniform.

The girl was holding Albus's wand in one hand and her wand was up and pointing at him in the other. She was wearing an evil smirk that revealed her large teeth. Her coarse black hair was cut short in what could have been a pretty pixie cut if it had been trimmed and styled. There was a look of malicious glee in her shifty brown eyes as she taunted the other boy.

"If you want your stupid wand back, Potter, you're going to have to do better than that. You can try begging for starters."

"I said give it, Flint. You had no right snitching it out of my bag, now give it back before-"

"Before what? In case you forgot, I have you wand. Go ahead, try and hex me. Oh, wait, you can't."

A sneer formed across Scorpius's face as he started to pull out his wand. Cassandra glanced from him to Albus and the girl then to his wand before she placed a hand out and stopped Scorpius from drawing his wand.

"I really don't want to be caught in a crossfire, you know," she said before she turned to the girl, Flint was her name apparently. "Hey! You!" When Flint and Albus turned and saw her, Cassandra grinned before pointing at Albus's wand. "Yea, uhm. It's not very nice what you're doing, you know. Can you please give Albus back his wand?"

The girl scrunched her nose and narrowed her eyes at Cassandra. "Let me guess, you're the newest member to the losers club or something? Guess that brings up their number from two to three." The girl turned to Albus with a sneer. "Guess your little club is beginning to game some popularity after all." She then turned back to Cassandra and it looked as if she was going to say something before her eyes glazed over her and settled on Scorpius. All of a sudden, her smile became sickly sweet. Twirling Albus's wand in one hand and spinning her wand in the other, the girl walked over to Scorpius who instantly took a step back, a look of obvious disgust written all over his face.

"Awww, isn't it the failed Malfoy," she said, speaking to Scorpius in a tone of voice she would use on a pet. When she came to a stop in front of him and Cassandra, the smirk widened. Her eyes traveled up and down Scorpius as she walked around him, still twirling the wands. "The son of the former Slytherin Prince, the youngest death eater to have ever served the Dark Lord, you got sorted into Ravenclaw. Aww, isn't a shame? No wonder why you hang out with Potter here. The both of you are losers, failures to your ancestry and blood."

When the girl came back to a stop in front of Scorpius, she grinned before throwing Albus's wand aside carelessly. "Here, take your wand back. I don't want your loser club germs contaminating me." She then looked at Scorpius and grinned sweetly. "My mom says 'hi' by the way to your dad. She says that if he had gotten with her like they were meant to be instead of marrying that tramp whore of a Greengrass mother of yours, he would have had a true Slytherin son. Not a pathetic failure like you. Have fun hanging out with your loser friend. I'm off to hang out with some real Slytherins before I-" The girl pinched her nose. "Breathe in any more of your disgrace." Then with merry wave of her fingers, she walked off. "Toodles, losers."

Just as the girl turned and walked past Scorpius and Cassandra, a strange annoyance came over her making Cassandra turn around. She wanted to walk over, tap the girl on the shoulder and slap her right across the face. Just as she was about too though, a hand reached out and stopped her.

"She's not worth it," said Albus before he walked over and punched Scorpius lightly on the arm to break him out of his intense glare at the girl's back. "Come on, Scorpius, you know she's only doing that to get a rise out of us and you know it's best not give her the pleasure of seeing you angry, especially when she's made prefect. Anyways, the compartment's empty. I'm pretty sure we can sit here for the rest of the train ride without a problem."

Scorpius only nodded before he walked over to one of the seats across from Albus and sat down. He looked positively livid. It was as if even though he knew that Albus was right, he still wanted to give the girl a good hex just to make himself feel better.

Looking from Albus to Scorpius, Cassandra walked over to where Albus was sitting and took a seat. She glanced at the door again before looking back at the two boys. "So who was that anyways? She seems like a very pleasant person to talk too. Maybe you can give me her name so I can avoid her."

"Her name is Deidra Flint," said Albus as he dug through his bag, inspecting it for any other missing valuables Deidra might have stolen from him. "But she likes to be called DeeDee. Her dad's is Marcus Flint, a real bonehead apparently. According my dad he was held back a year at Hogwarts."

"No doubt for being ten steps behind the evolutionary curve," added Scorpius venomously as he tilted his head back against the back of the seat and closed his eyes. "And her mum was my dad's old girlfriend at Hogwarts. Apparently her mum never got over the fact that my dad married my mother. Every year she keeps reminding me how if my dad got with her cow of a mother, he would be happier than with my mum."

"At least you don't have to live with her and her Slytherin posse," said Albus as he pointed at his uniform and badge, "In case you've forgotten, I see them every night when I go back to the commons. Do you have any idea how bloody annoying it is listening to her remind all the new first years that she was the Slytherin Princess? It doesn't even matter if I'm prefect or not either. No one listens to me and with DeeDee around, she'll just give back all the points I took off from those thick headed morons."

"Can we change the subject?" Scorpius opened an eye before he stretched and sat up, nodding at Cassandra. "So, Cassandra, what house and year are you in? You're probably not a sixth year or else we would have seen you in class already and you're definitely not a fourth year since Albus's sister didn't recognize your name. So I'm guessing that you're a fifth year who skipped a grade just recently? Because your booklist was exactly the same as Al's and mine."

When Scorpius asked her about her house and year, Cassandra paused and bit her bottom lip. In her mind, all the lines and answers she and Liam had work on and rehearsed started playing over and over.

"I'm actually in the same year as both of you. My friend and I just transferred from America."

Silence again.

Albus and Scorpius were looking at her with disbelief. The skeptical look returned in Scorpius's eyes as he folded his arms across his chest. Albus was arching an eyebrow, looking more curious than skeptical. "So you're saying that you moved from your school in America and going to Hogwarts now. Is that even allowed? I mean, as far as I know, Hogwarts doesn't allow transfer students unless under dire circumstances. Are you sure you're not an exchange student? It's not that rare to have an occasional exchange student."

"Unless your prat of a brother sent her to piss with us," said Scorpius.

Giving Scorpius a hard look, Albus shook his head. "Scorpius, she just asked us who the biggest most annoying girl, the self proclaimed Slytherin Princess, was. I'm pretty sure James didn't send her here to have a good laugh or something. Don't give him too much credit. He's not creative enough to think up of something like that." Albus then turned back to Cassandra. "So, which is it? Transfer or exchange?"

"Transfer." If she had the transfer papers with her, Cassandra would have taken them out by now so that Albus could look at them. "Went to Toadstool Academy in Washington with my friend Liam. My uncle took a job in England and we just moved here this summer."

"That's not reason enough to transfer into Hogwarts though." Scorpius was looking out the window at the passing landscape. A light drizzle was beginning to pour. Dark gray clouds could be seen outside. There was looking threat of a storm approaching. "The last time a student transferred into Hogwarts was years ago and it was because he could only get the medicine for his sickness at St. Mungos, so he had to be near the hospital whenever he needed it. So how did you and your friend manage to convince McGonagall to let you in?"

"You can ask the Headmistress herself if you want to know so bad," said Cassandra, reciting the line exactly as she and Liam had planned it. There was an edge to her voice though that made Scorpius and Albus turn to look at her. Sighing, Cassandra pushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "Sorry if I sounded defensive. It's a personal reason and I'd rather not talk about it. At least not now, I barely know you two."

That seemed to be a good enough reason for the both of them before Scorpius went back to looking out the window and Albus pulled out a book titled "A History of Magic" from his bag, opening it to a bookmarked page.

After a few minutes of simply listening to the wind howl outside and the rain pouring down even faster, Scorpius turned and look at Cassandra. "So what house do you suppose you'll get into? You're not sorted yet, are you?"

"No, not yet. Personally, I'm hoping to get into Slytherin to piss off James even more, or at least give him another reason to hate me," said Cassandra without a second thought. She wanted to be Slytherin because the Gryffindor house had a deep rooted hate for that house.

Albus glanced up from his book with a hard warning stare. "You don't want to be in Slytherin," he stated bluntly before turning back to the book he was reading. "If anything, you should try and get into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. If you want to be a part of the social hierarchy then join Gryffindor. But you don't want to be in Slytherin. I mean, it's not bad to be a Slytherin, Scorpius there can vouch for me on that. It's just the people in that house gives everyone who is halfway decent or actually good, a really bad reputation. Everyone is going to think that you're a pureblood fanatic, a supporter of Voldemort's beliefs even though he's dead or just an overall git just because the colors on your uniform are green and silver. You met Deedee. If you want to be in a house full of girls just like her and boys who are like Travis Higgs, then you can have fun in Slytherin."

At the mention of Gryffindor, Cassandra made a face. "As far as I know, Gryffindors are filled with stuck up snobs who think that they are better than everyone else. So for me the answer is no on Gryffindor, period. And I guess I really don't want to be in the same house as that DeeDee girl." Cassandra had to admit that she was a bit disappointed that a girl like DeeDee was in the house she wanted to get into. "So it's either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. You're in Ravenclaw, right?"

Scorpius nodded. "Apparently I was smart enough to get into Ravenclaw but not cunning enough to be in Slytherin. And don't go saying that all Gryffindors are stuck up snobs. Rose isn't a stuck up snob. And if you happen to get into Gryffindor anyways, can you somehow get her to at least talk to me?"

When Scorpius mentioned his crush, Albus snorted. "I know Rose isn't a snob – she and Hugo the only cousins I have who doesn't take any crap from James. You have to admit though; she is a bit stuck up and has that Gryffindor sense of superiority. Maybe not outright like James, but like any other Gryffindor she has it. And you really aren't going to give up on her, are you mate? I forgot to ask, how did mission: Ask how her summer went, go?" Instead of answering, Scorpius gave Albus the bird and continued to look outside at the dreary weather. That only made Albus chuckle before he turned to Cassandra. "He's totally smitten with her but my cousin wants absolutely nothing to do with him. I told him that she doesn't want to associate herself with him because her granddad would disown her if she dated a pureblood. He doesn't believe me when I tell him, he has no chance with her."

"Stuff your face, Potter," said Scorpius, a hint of red forming in his face. "By the end of this year, I'm going to go on a date with Rose Weasely and we'll see who's laughing then."

Cassandra grinned before she leaned closer to Albus and whispered, "That's exactly what he told me when she totally ignored him and his mission impossible."

"He's been saying that every year since our third year," replied Albus, putting a hand up to pretend as if they were having a secret conversation, "Hasn't happened once. If I had a Sickle for every time he says that, I'd be richer than the Minister of Magic."

"Well, you know what they say," said Cassandra, "Love is blind."

When Cassandra and Albus started laughing, Scorpius turned and glared at them before he smiled, rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. "At least I'm in love," he said, indicating that he had heard every whisper of their conversation.

Even though Cassandra knew that she and Albus could easily continue poking fun at Scorpius, she only turned to Albus and grinned. The both of them made faces at each other as a silent response to what Scorpius had said before stifling a laugh again. Cassandra had to admit though; she was having fun with Scorpius and Albus. So maybe, just maybe making some acquaintances won't be so bad after all.

The compartment fell into a gentle lull as the train continued speeding through the dark storm. Lightning streaked across the sky as the roar of thunder followed it. Inside the train compartment, Albus had gone back to reading his book while Scorpius closed and eyes and looked as if he had decided to take a nap. It was Cassandra's turn now to look out the window. She could imagine Liam sitting in the compartment with James and his friends, laughing, talking, chattering and gossiping. He was probably weeding out as much information as he can about the social network of Hogwarts from the three boys and having fun as he did so. She started wondering how Brianna and Gregory were doing at Beauxbatons and what excuse they used to get into the magical school in France. The last time she talked to Sang Min was two weeks ago and he told her that Mei's mother took a teaching job at the Academy in China. That was the reason why he and Mei were able to get in. Then her mind started wandering to the bigger scheme of things. All the chess pieces were slowly falling into place. This was the last wave of transfer students that the Saint had sent out. This was the year they had all been waiting for, the big year, the year the wizarding world all over would collapse into nothing.

It was frightening thinking about it.

Cassandra was only jostled out of her thoughts when the compartment door opened and a kindly wizard walk in pushing a cart loaded with sweets. Immediately Scorpius woke up and Albus tossed his book onto the chair and crowded the cart. They loaded their pockets with the glee of a child let loose in a candy store. Of course, Cassandra couldn't help but join them.

Soon after spending a hefty amount of money on sweets, the three of them were having fun dividing their shares and putting dibs on their favorites. From cauldron cakes to ice cold pumpkin juice, they laughed and fought tooth and nail over the last chocolate frog. Cassandra wouldn't touch the Bertie Botts every flavored beans which made Scorpius and Albus tease her in the process. Finally she gave in and popped an interesting looking pink one into her mouth only to find out that it tasted like a rubber eraser. Yuch.

By the time the last crumb of pastry of gone and the last smidgen of chocolate was licked clean, the mood on improved greatly in the compartment despite the weather. Pretty soon, Cassandra found herself talking with Albus and Scorpius about Quidditch – "Honestly, it seems as if Gryffindor or Slytherin wins every year when the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams really aren't all that bad." – the students to avoid – "You should be lucky my brother wasn't made prefect. At least Nathan Wood is a fair Head Boy and won't dock points off for no reason. And unless you're a Slytherin, avoid DeeDee at all cost." – and ghosts to avoid – "Peeves? Why doesn't the Headmistress just expel him or something if he's causing that much trouble?"

The three of them wound up so preoccupied in their conversation that none of them noticed that the train had slowed down until the voice over the intercom announced that they would be arriving at Hogwarts in fifteen minutes. Immediately there was a scramble to pick everything up and change into their school uniforms. Albus immediately took Scorpius by the arm and pulled him out of the compartment so Cassandra could change first, something Cassandra found to be rather funny as she took off her jacket.

It felt strange to be wearing the Hogwarts uniform. The color scheme was rather similar, gray, black and white, but the design was bit more elaborate than at Toadstool – where all that was really required was a white blouse with the school emblem on it and a gray pleated skirt. Wearing a tie for girls was practically unheard of so after fumbling for a few minutes she gave up and had to ask for help.

Scorpius smirked as he knotted the tie properly for her, "I thought all girls should know how to tie a tie."

"Don't be a chauvinist," said Cassandra as she left the carriage so he and Albus could change. "And thanks for the help."

When the Hogwarts Express arrived at its destination there was a mad dash as every student fought and pushed their way out. Cassandra winced as she stood at the door of the compartment wondering how she was going to navigate through the crowd without being trampled.

"Come on, we'll help you out," said Albus taking one of her hands while Scorpius took the other. With the two boys guiding her, Cassandra felt less like a red herring in a school of fish trying to escape some predator. Scorpius was in the front, parting the sea of students while Albus stayed behind her to make sure Cassandra doesn't end up lost. Once they were out of the train doors, the three of them stumbled onto a small dark platform. Immediately the students were taking off to the muddy road and towards what looked like rows upon rows of carriages, pulled by odd looking horses. The younger students, wearing black ties similar to Cassandra's, were standing about looking confused until a deep booming voice pierced through their confusion and a bright light from a lantern lit up the darkness of the platform.

"Firs' years. Firs' years over here. Firs' years. Now come on, don't be shy now. Firs' years gather 'round"

Cassandra squinted through the rain and looked up. The rickety sign above her read "The Hogsmeade Station" and Cassandra looked around to see where Hogwarts was. Was this really their destination?

"Come on, you can sit in a carriage with us," shouted Albus through the thunder and students. He tugged at her wrist lightly but Cassandra shook her head.

"I need to look for Liam!" She shouted, barely able to hear her own voice about the noise. When Scorpius and Albus gave her questioning looks, she swallowed and shouted again. "I need to find my friend, Liam! He transferred into Hogwarts with me and the Headmistress told us to go with the first year students!"

Scorpius and Albus looked at each other before Albus released Cassandra's wrist and nodded. "If you say so!" shouted Scorpius before he reached over and pulled Albus by the arm. "Come on, let's grab a carriage before we're left behind." He then turned to Cassandra and gave her a thumbs up. "Good with the sorting. Hope I'll see you in any house except Gryffindor!"

"Or Slytherin! Though, it wouldn't be too bad if you were," added Albus before the both of them turned and made their way through the storm towards the carriages.

Cassandra couldn't help but grin. Turning around, she made her way towards the giant man and his lantern where the first years all stood huddled next to each other trying to keep warm – an impossible task in this weather. Her eyes darted about, looking for Liam. When she didn't see any sign of the other boy, she frowned. Where could he have gotten off to? Then a thought crossed her mind that really made Cassandra's blood boiled. If the other boy so much as decided to go with James and his friends into the carriages, she was going to hex him. He knew better than to draw any more atten-

"Missed me?"

Squeaking at the sound of Liam's voice next to her ear, Cassandra turned around and glared at him before slapping him across the arm. "Don't do that," she hissed before sighing. For whatever reason she wanted to hex him and hug him for being so annoying. "Anyways, where were you?"

Liam grinned before taking out one of his lollipops, a green one this time, and placed it in his mouth. "I was going to go into one of the carriages with James but then I decided not to. I mean, you were going to murder me and hang me out to dry if I did."

They knew each other too well.

Once it seemed as if everyone was out of the Hogwarts Express, the giant man grinned. "Is that all of yeh, then?" he said scanning the group of new students. The first years only shivered, all of them glancing at each other unsure of what to make of the man. "In that case then, mind yer step and fo-" The man paused in his speech. He shifted his lantern so that the light shone on Liam and Cassandra, making her wince and turn away. "Oyi, aren't the both of ye suppose to be ridin' with the rest o' the others? Hurry it up, now. Get on over there before they leave ye behind for dawdlin'."

"We're transfers," said Liam, as loud as he could, "The Headmistress told us to go with the rest of the first years to be sorted."

At Liam's explanation, the man nodded knowingly. "So the two of ye are the students McGonagall was talkin' about eh? In that case, we're all here and accounted for. Now mind yer steps. Careful now, don't want no broken bones or sprained ankles before you even get to Hogwarts, right?"

It was pitch black and rain water soaked Cassandra's socks and shoes completely. As she followed the giant man, she cursed bitterly to herself. If they were expected to walk all the way to Hogwarts, she was turning around and walking straight back to the Hogwarts Express. She was cold, wet, and if she hadn't eaten so much junk food off the snack cart she would have been thoroughly pissed and angry. As if sensing her discomfort, Liam placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Yeh'll be getting' yer first look at Hogwarts in a bit here," said the man as he lead the group around a bend. "An' there she is. The finest school of witchcraft and wizardry to have ever been built."

There were oohs and aahs, but the magnificent beauty of the school was lost to the storm and hunger. Despite the glistening towers, lighting up like the city of Paris itself, and the beautiful gothic architecture, it was difficult to appreciate something in weather as foal as this.

The giant man then waved an arm towards the inky black lake before he pointed to a small fleet of boats that were bobbing up and down from the storm. "Now let's get the lot ye to school then shall we? No more than four to a boat. The both of ye, come with me."

When the man pointed at Cassandra and Liam, the both of them glanced at each other before hurrying towards him. Up close, the man was taller than Cassandra had guessed. He stood a taller than any man Cassandra had ever seen and was twice, possibly even three times, as big as any man Cassandra had ever seen. His face was covered in a large beard and he was dressed in a large coat with too many pockets on it.

"The name is Rubeus Hagrid," said the giant as he placed a hand out for Cassandra and Liam to shake, which they did promptly. Half in fear of instigating his anger if they didn't, half out of awe at his sheer size. "I'm the Care for Magical Creatures Professor here at Hogwarts. The Headmistress told me to keep an eye out for the both ye because of yer unusual circumstances. Now, I told the rest o' the firs' years that it's four to a boat but since the both of yer are obviously bigger, you can take a boat for yerselves. She also told me that the both of you are to be sorted just like all of the other students, so don't ye fret about when you should go up. Just wait until yer name is called. A'right?"

Cassandra could only nod mutely while Liam grinned and saluted Hagrid briefly with a quip of "Aye, Aye, Professor." To which Hagrid chuckled at.

Once everyone was in a boat, the chains holding them back slid off and silently like ghosts the boats started to float towards the castle. There was no speaking. Not even when a wave crashed over them or when the boats nearly toppled over from the storm. Everyone was either numb from the cold or too in awe from the sight of Hogwarts to speak. As they approached a dark tunnel the silence increased a tensfold until the boats came to a silent stop at what looked like an underground harbor.

With shuffles and quick footsteps, everyone clambered out of the boats, glad to be out of the water. They were wetter than wet and Liam, who Cassandra had assumed would have enjoyed the thrill ride, looked utterly angry. He took a hem of his robe and squeezed, watching in disgust as a stream of water dripped down to the pebbled ground.

"Soaked like a wet rat," he muttered before his stomach growled, "I stand corrected. Soaked like a wet hungry rat. When are we going to eat?"

After Hagrid was done checking the boats for any loose items, he turned and lead them up a passageway, where the storm continue to beat at them. Once they arrived at the shadow of the castle, they could see the outline of a giant door. Hagrid reached up and pounded the door three times. Looking back at them, he did his best to smile comfortingly despite the pouring rain.

"Ye are in good hands, now, so don't worry."

Just as he said this, the doors opened wide and a short little man, with a funny mustache walked out with a broad friendly grin as he looked at the new students.

xxx

**Author's Note:** Ahaha, yea, no sorting this chapter. I feel pretty bad about not being able to put up the sorting since I spent so much time researching for that part of the story. So, I have a few questions for you guys. There have been mentions about the execution of my story has been fantastic ( and you've no idea how much that made my day when someone tells me that ) and it seems as if Liam and Cassandra are decently well liked, at least I hope they are XD, along with the obvious canon characters. But what your opinions of the other characters that have shown up? Characters like Nicholas Creevy, Zachary Jordan and as introduced in this chapter DeeDee Flint. You'll be meeting more characters in the next chapter and I was wondering what your opinion of the ones introduced are like so far. I was also kind of wondering if anyone caught the theme I was discovered and am now attempting to play up in the Witch Hunt. So yea, reviews would be loved and awesome and I'm looking forward to posting the next chapter up where we finally get to see where Liam and Cassandra get sorted into. Until next time,

Your Lucky Sparks.


	5. What's the Verdict for the Sorted?

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Five: What's the Verdict for the Sorted?**

**Disclaimer: **Whatever belongs to JK Rowling, belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me, belongs to me. If you don't know what belongs to JK Rowling, go to google. Look up Harry Potter. Or just read the series.

**Special thanks to:**

**Anamolly2013:** For your review of my story and your input on the characters that aren't so far not as prominent in Witch Hunt. Nicholas Creevy was a fun one to write for me, honestly. Once I got the idea of a newspaper at Hogwarts, everything just fell into place for his personality.

**Jesusfreak917: **A lot of concepts and ideas you're wondering about will be explained. Soon... ish... XD Especially the reason why Albus and Scorpius are at the bottom of the social pecking order. Though on a personal note, the reason why I didn't put Albus and Scorpius at the top, or even the middle, is because well... I guess that's gonna be explained later also. XD

**Alpha DragonWulf: **Haha XD Wait no longer, the sorting (as obviously noted in the title) is in this chapter and I really can't imagine Scorpius in Gryffindor. I would imagine the poor boy would be torn into itty bitty bits and pieces by James if he was.

**Jet Set Yoyo:** Keep writing you Criminal Minds fic. 8D And your reviews are spot on helpful. Thankies!

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 1st ; Front of the Castle ; Evening

xxx

"Welcome! Welcome! Welcome all of you to Hogwarts," said the man in a jolly welcoming voice. The man looked at Hagrid before the both of them nodded before he opened the door even further. "Thank you, Hagrid for ensuring that they all got here safely. Now, come inside, all of you. This storm isn't going to get any better and we don't want any of you catching your deaths before your term has even started. Come inside, watch your step now. Don't slip on that puddle there."

As they entered the castle, Cassandra was in immediate awe. Hogwarts was just as beautiful possibly even more beautiful on the inside than it was on the out. From the sheer vastness of the hall to the impossibly high roof, and the gorgeous marble staircase, everything was just magnificent. The torches danced merrily radiating a much welcomed heat that tickled her skin despite being so far away and the suits of armor glinted with pride. There was no doubt in Cassandra's mind that Hogwarts was far more exciting than Toadstool where its main building was a pebble compared to the Hogwarts castle.

Liam on the other hand, didn't seem quite as impressed. His mood was rather sour as he placed an arm around Cassandra's shoulder and leaned on her, glaring sullenly at their surroundings. He was hungry, and the one thing Cassandra had learned about Liam was that he had the foulest of tempers when he's hungry and miserable.

The short professor lead them all to a room just to the side of a pair of large wooden double doors and once everyone had filed in, he used his wand to close the door. He clapped his hands merrily as he climbed on top of a stool on a table to look at them.

"As I've said before, welcome each of you to Hogwarts. I am Professor Flitwick, Deputy Headmaster at Hogwart and Charms professor here at the school. In a few moments you will be lead to the Great Hall where the start of term banquet will begin. So for those of you how are hungry, it's only a few minute's wait until you're fed." At the word "banquet" Liam looked up from Cassandra's shoulder with a hopeful look in his eyes. A couple of first years were muttering amongst themselves also at the thought of being fed until the man clapped his hands again. "Now now, listen up. Before we can feast however, there is the sorting ceremony where each of you will be sorted into a house, which is sort of like your family during your seven years here at Hogwarts. So as you can all tell, this is a very important ceremony. There are four houses here at Hogwarts, Gryffindor, Slytherin-"

As Flitwick continued speaking, Liam groaned softly before placing his head back on Cassandra's shoulder. "When will we eat?" he moaned slightly, one hand across his stomach, "I swear, this is a nightmare."

"Oh shush, you big baby," hissed Cassandra, kicking Liam lightly on the shin to wake him up.

She listened to the rest of Professor Flitwick's speech about how each house was noble in their own way and how each house worked together to own points towards winning the House Cup honor for their house at the end of the year. It was a new speech for her and Liam because at Toadstool, there was no such thing as houses. The boys had a dorm building, the girls had a dorm building and all of them had a group common. That was that. She was even more excited to be sorted now and once Professor Flitwick concluded his speech and left them to their own devices in the room for a while, she turned to Liam.

"So which house do you suppose you'll get in?"

"Is that mashed potatoes I smell?" asked Liam as he stood up and sighed. "And it's not a question as to what house we'll supposedly get in. It's what house we want to get in. James told me that his brother, Albus, said that you can ask the Sorting Hat to put you in a certain house if you're point blank adamant about it. Or that it would at least take your opinion into consideration. There's no arguing Cassie, the both of us are going into Gryffindor. And oh god, is that roast beef? And what would I give for a real decent American hamburger. McDonalds. In 'n' out. Burger King. I don't care. And nice side of fries that aren't French."

Rolling her eyes, Cassandra sighed before she pulled Liam's arm off her shoulders and took a step to the side, nearly making him topple over. "You go into Gryffindor. Work your way into James's group. I'm hoping for a coin toss between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. It'd probably be in my favor if I got into Ravenclaw. And sorting hat? What in the world is a sorting hat?"

At the mention of the two houses she wanted to get in, Liam grinned. "What? Not Slytherin like you originally wanted? And beats me what a sorting hat is. Maybe you have to pull a rabbit from it or something. You know, I realized that in all my years, I've never tried rabbit meat before. Do you suppose it's good?"

Before Cassandra could give Liam a good pinch, the door opened again.

"The Sorting ceremony is about to begin. Form a line now, follow me everyone."

Professor Flitwick returned and soon everyone had hurried into a line. The excitement in the little group was intense as they walked back into the hall and through the double doors of the Great Hall.

It was sheer beauty.

Cassandra suddenly wished that she had more eyes to look at everything and everyone. The plates and goblets glittered like gold. Thousands of candles floated about the hall, illuminating the place with a romantic beauty. Looking up at the ceiling, Cassandra expected to see an old Victorian painting, or something even more exquisite and divine. Instead she saw something that delighted more than a painting could. Storm clouds and lightning hovered above them with rain falling down but never reaching the students or the candle. She looked back down to see that they were all being lead to the table in front of them where Professor McGonagall was sitting at its center. The rest of the staff sat to the right and left of her. As they approached the table, Professor Flitwick told them to stand in a line and turn to face the rest of the student population.

Immediately Cassandra searched the tables for familiar faces. Hanging above each table was a flag. A giant crimson flag with the symbol of a golden lion. That was the Gryffindor table and Cassandra could distinctly see James and his group sitting somewhere in the middle. They were grinning and attempting to wave at Liam who was also looking about. When Cassandra looked to the Slytherin table, she saw Albus sitting at the far end of it. They made eye contact and grinned. At the Ravenclaw table, Scorpius was sitting by himself also. He gave her a short wave before he nodded, acknowledging her gaze.

"So where's that banquet they promised us?" muttered Liam when all of a sudden the old patched and frayed hat sitting on a stool in front of them started to move-

And sing.

"_Once upon a time there lived a magnificent dream  
__A dream so very vast; a dream so very bold  
__To educate young witches and wizards in the magic arts  
__In a school built to be the greatest in the world_

_Four founders there were to this noble deed  
__And they vowed to stand and be united forever as friends and four  
__Together overcoming any obstacle that might ensue  
__And thus the dream known as Hogwarts was soon conceived and born_

_Four founders there were, the first was the steadfast Sir Gryffindor  
__A man of mighty courage and bravery in his soul  
__He taught his students well, teaching them to value honor  
__While chivalry and valor were his major goal_

_The second was the fair Lady Ravenclaw  
__A maiden of clever intelligence and creative mind  
__She taught her students wisely, teaching them to value knowledge  
__While wisdom was what she had them sought and find_

_Third was the cunning Sir Slytherin  
__A man of resourcefulness and willful determination  
__He taught his students strictly, teaching them to value pride  
__While achievement and prudent judgment was suppose to be their true ambition_

_Last but not least was the sweet Lady Hufflepuff  
__A woman of heightened patience and valued friends  
__She taught her students kindly, teaching them to value work and labor  
__While showing them that loyalty and dedication will always triumph in the end_

_And although Hogwart's four beloved founders  
__Had fallen from great superiority and whittled down to three  
__A thousand or so years later their beloved school still stands  
__Because whenever strife appears; its students stand together in perfect unity_

_From a war that had occurred a long many years ago  
__To a war that was fought just so very recently  
__Although condemned to be separated; they stood united  
__Brothers and sisters in arms; and fought the battle valiantly_

_But now that the dust has settled and Hogwarts is well in its golden days  
__Words of caution and of wisdom has been long forgotten  
__And the promise to stand forever as four, has once again gone quite astray  
__So here I am, to once again, remind you of my caution_

_As the old saying goes: "United we stand, Divided we fall"  
__And history reminds us this saying is very true  
__Now I have spoken my piece, the sorting shall begin  
__What happens afterwards is entirely up to you."_

Once the hat's song had ended, there was a silence that flooded the halls. It only lasted a brief moment, but Cassandra felt the chills from the students at the Sorting Hat's warning. Some of them looked uncomfortable. Others were rolling their eyes while some like James and his group were scoffing at the idea of making friends with the other houses. It only lasted a second though before everyone bursted into applause. That was when Cassandra realized that she was the only one who felt chilled. It was the same chill Cassandra got when she saw Draco Malfoy standing with his wife on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. It was a chill that ran deep into her body and invaded her bones. It sounded as if the sorting hat was warning the students about her and Liam. But how could it know? That's entirely impossible for a stupid hat to know that she and Liam were Witch Hunters, ready to destroy the school and the wizarding world. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

But then, why else would it warn the students to stand together in unity and allude to the First and Second Wizarding Wars?

As Professor Flitwick stepped forward with a scroll and began calling out names, Cassandra turned to Liam. He looked just as shocked as she was. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"How could I not?" hissed Liam, staring at the hat while a first year girl by the name of Anna Branstone was sorted into Hufflepuff. He looked as if he wanted to take the hat and rip it to shreds. "Everyone here is wet, tired and starving and that stupid damn hat decides to sing. I mean really. It even went off key in the middle and the song has the rhythm of a death march. Give me a pair of scissors. I'm giving that hat a new haircut. Couldn't this have waited until after we ate?"

Glaring at Liam, Cassandra rolled her eyes knowing that it was useless to talk to the other boy while he was hungry. She stood and watched as a small boy named Daniel Cattlin got sorted into Gryffindor and the entire house of red and gold, bursted into applause.

A few students later and many ignored grumbles from Liam later, Cassandra's name was called.

"Jenkees, Cassandra."

Her body stiffed as Cassandra swallowed and walked over to the stool. The entire student population was whispering now, a few of them pointing at her questioningly. She could hear whispers coming from them. "Why is she being sorted?" "Was she in our house? Is she getting resorted?" "You can't be resorted to a new house." "Hey, do you know her? Was she in your house?" "What year is she even in?" "Is she an exchange student?" "From where? She's not pretty enough to be from Beauxbatons." "Not all students from that school are models you know." "Durmstrang then?"

As she sat down on the wooden chair, Cassandra looked down to see Professor Flitwick smiling at her as he gave her the hat. "Here you go, dear," he said kindly.

She looked from him to the dirty old hat and a cold fear seized her. If the hat knew about her and Liam, what else could it see once she placed it on her head? Some of the students took longer than others to be sorted. Some sitting there for several long minutes of nervous anticipation while others took less than a second. What's going to happen once she places the hat on her head?

Reaching out, Cassandra did her best to keep her hands from shaking as she took the old thing. She closed her eyes and placed it on her head. There was darkness. And then...

"Mmmm, interesting. There is a lot going on in your mind it seems."

Cassandra squeezed her eyes shut even further, trying her best to close her mind from any intrusion from the hat. But it seems as if her mental barriers just weren't strong enough for the hat.

"I see a lot of loyalty in you. Yes. A loyalty that you don't give just anyone. You're not a liar either, especially with it comes to your feelings and opinions. Valor? Perhaps. I do see some valor in you. And talent, you have a talent don't you? A talent you're rather humble about. Smart. Creative. Insightful. Hardworking. Now where to put you, m'dear. Where to put you..."

Closing her eyes even more, Cassandra remembered what Liam had told her. Although it sounded ridiculous – then again, talking to a hat was ridiculous – she decided to test his theory anyways. _Anywhere is fine except for Gryffindor. Just don't put me in Gryffindor with those big headed idiots. Please not Gryffindor. Anywhere but Gryffindor._

"Not Gryffindor? In all my years as a sorting hat, this is a first for me; a student with no family history of being in Slytherin not wanting to be a Gryffindor? You possess a Gryffindor's heart you know but then there's that Ravenclaw mind of yours. I would like to say the same for Slytherin, but your honesty makes you lack the house's cunning spirit. It's all here in your head. No? Ah yes, stubborn one aren't you? You remind me of a boy I sorted once and he moved on to do great things. But since you insist on the fact that Gryffindors are stuck up bigots and don't want to join them, I believe you'll do just as well in – HUFFLEPUFF!"

Before Cassandra could ask the hat why it chose Hufflepuff, Professor Flitwick had already removed it from her head and Cassandra could hear a loud round of applause erupting from the Hufflepuff table. As she placed her glasses back on, she saw that the tiny professor looked a tad disappointed despite his smile.

"Thank you," said Cassandra, as she got off the stool and made her way down towards the yellow clad table. She felt unsteady. She was thrilled, yes. She was thrilled that the hat did take her suggestion into consideration and that Liam was right. But she felt unsteady because of the hat being able to look into her mind like that. Sitting under that hat felt like sitting in confessionals, where her soul was laid bare for all to see. She also felt unsteady because the hat mentioned that she had a strong inclination for Ravenclaw but chose to put her in Hufflepuff instead. Was it trying to thwart her from her plans? Not to mention, if she was in Ravenclaw – or even Slytherin or Gryffindor – she'd have someone to talk too. She knew no one in Hufflepuff.

With a quick glance back at the remaining students, Cassandra saw Liam folding his arms across his chest and arching an eyebrow at her. The grim smile on his face told her all she needed to know. He trusted her not to join him in Gryffindor, but she had better be able to take care of herself. Cassandra returned his smile with a nod before she turned away.

As she passed by the Gryffindor table, Cassandra saw James, Zachary and Nicholas sitting among them out of the corner of her eye. Zachary was looking at her with a jokester kind of grin. James had a smug look on his face which looked even smugger when Cassandra walked past. Nicholas was the only one who didn't turn to look at her. His Quick Quotes Quill was floating next to him and was writing while he watched the sorting intently, glancing at what the quill wrote every once and a while.

Returning James's smug face with a turn of her nose, Cassandra walked the rest of the way to the Hufflepuff table without once glancing back at James and his group. She did, however, turn to see Albus grinning at her and giving her two thumbs up. Over at the Ravenclaw table, Scorpius smiled but it was that same disappointed smile Professor Flitwick had when he took the hat from her.

When she got to the Hufflepuff table, a tall good looking boy with dark brown hair with a burly build immediately waved her over to his group of friends. Cassandra paused. She had planned to go sit at the end of the table but at the other boy's insistence she turned and quickly walked over so that people can focus on the sorting rather than her attempt to find a seat at the table.

After the boy told his friends to move a bit to make room for her, Cassandra sat down next to him and saw that the boy was wearing a badge on his uniform. The boy must be the one Rose and her friend was talking about, the cute one with the girlfriend. He was also the one Albus had mentioned being the Head Boy. Shaking her head, Cassandra was about to ask the boy his name but he was back to watching the sorting. Rather than risk being rude, Cassandra turned and watched the rest of the students get sorted, clapping politely when Ignacio Middleton joined the Slytherin table.

There were only a few students left to be sorted before Liam took the stool. The other boy was scowling so bad that even his best smile could barely hide his discontent. It was high time the other boy learned patience, thought Cassandra before she looked up at the High table where the professors were seated. The giant man, Hagrid, was sitting at the end conversing quietly to a young professor with sandy brown hair and a good natured face. It looked as if they were making bets on where the next student was to be sorted. The headmistress was seated on a golden chair at the center, surveying the Great Hall and watching the sorting with a quiet sort of excitement. Next to her was a large man with a walrus sort of mustache. His eyes were twinkling with excitement as he eyed the first years with a sort of anticipation. Cassandra had to do a double take when she saw the husband for the bartender woman at the Leaky Cauldron sitting next to a woman with long curly blonde hair, held back with a pink headband. There was a pretty Chinese woman sitting next to a man with brown hair and eyes who was looking at Cassandra. He gave her a smile before he turned and clapped for the next student who got sorted.

Cassandra watched a Trinity Levant join the Hufflepuff table before Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"Liang, Shi Huang."

Liam cringed when his name was called but recovered quickly as he smiled. He gave the Gryffindor table a peace sign which James and Zachary acknowledged by showing Liam their crossed fingers. Both gestures were subtle, but Cassandra was certain that if the students and staff were observant enough they would have caught it.

Once the Sorting Hat was on Liam's head, Cassandra wondered what the little voice was whispering to Liam into his ear. What personality traits was it attempting to highlight? From what she heard from the sorting hat's song, the Ravenclaw house seemed to fit Liam best. He was smart, talented and creative. But then he was loyal, and loyalty was a trait that Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors shared. So maybe-

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The loud applause immediately thundered through the Great Hall as James and Zachary stood up to welcome Liam into their group. Cassandra could already see several of the girls eyeing Liam before they looked at the rest of the houses as if to say that they were the lucky house that got a good catch. While the rest of the students got sorted, Cassandra watched as Liam took a seat next to the red head girl who saw walking with Rose on the train. The two of them were immediately talking to each other, Liam flirting with the younger girl. Cassandra counted the seconds and once she reached fifteen exactly, a blush was forming on the girl's face.

By the time Joshua Zeke was sorted into Ravenclaw, the sorting was over and Professor Flitwick went to put the hat away. Professor McGonagall stood up from her chair and clapped for everyone's attention. "Welcome students, to a new year at Hogwarts. Now that the Sorting Ceremony is over, I would like to say "eat up" and "drink your fill". You all deserve it for being patient with the sorting, unlike last year when some of you decided it'd be more amusing to start some wet start firecrackers in the Great Hall. I'm certain that month's worth of detention was enough to keep you from doing that again."

There was a general rouse of nervous laughter and Cassandra looked about to see where the food was going to be served from. No waiters were coming out or house elves running about carrying plates. At Toadstool the food would have been carried out and set on a long table. Everyone would get in line buffet style and have a seat at the Dining Hall.

"You really should eat, you know, before everything's gone. I suggest that you try the lamb chops. I must say though, the Yorshire pudding is my favorite."

Turning around, Cassandra looked from the boy on her right to the massive spread of food in front of her. At the sight of the heaping platters of various meat dishes and tureens of vegetables, Cassandra felt her mouth water. Her stomach started to growl and without a moment wasted any longer, she was spooning a heaping amount of mashed potatoes onto her plate, drizzling it with gravy from the roast beef and heaping a decent amount of buttered peas and carrots on her plate. At the boy's insistence, she decided to at least try the Yorkshire pudding, even though Cassandra really had no taste for British food.

"So? How is it?" asked the boy as sawed away at the rib on his plate, doing his best to pick the bone clean. "I'm telling you, the house elves at Hogwarts makes it best."

"It's different," said Cassandra, finding that she rather liked the mix of flavors. It was like doughy sort of bread that has been soaked in spices and meat drippings. "And uhm, thanks for the suggestion." Even though she liked it, she was going to stick to foods she recognized.

"No problem." Placing his silverware down, the boy gave Cassandra his hand and shook hers firmly and politely. "My name is Nathan Wood. I'm the current Head Boy here at Hogwarts. My girlfriend, Amanda Cole, over at the Ravenclaw table is the Head Girl. If you have any questions, just give either of us a tap, or something. Don't be shy about asking for help since transferring schools is difficult enough."

When Nathan mentioned that she had transferred schools, Cassandra stopped chewing on her food and swallowed. She was about to ask how did Nathan know he knew she was a transfer student when another boy spoke up before she could.

"Transfer student? Was this the girl you were telling us prefects about on the train?" A boy with pale blonde hair and equally pale blue eyes looked up from his plate of food. He immediately set his fork down, leaned across the table – the dismay of Nathan and various other students – to shake Cassandra's hand. "I mean, obviously you are the transfer student. No one of us thought you were though because, and no offense or anything, you kinda look like a first year. The name's Lorcan Scamander, fifth year prefect for Hufflepuff. My brother, Lysander, is in Ravenclaw. So tell me, what's it like in America? Are the people there really as rude as everyone says they are? And McDonalds, what is that? Is it really some muggle American government conspiracy to make everyone overweight there so that people would waste all their money into buying all these weight loss items?"

Rolling his eyes, Nathan reached out and gently pushed Lorcan back and away from Cassandra. "Sit down, Scamander."

"But I'm curious. I mean, the muggle world in America is vastly different than in England. So the wizardng world must be also." said Lorcan. He then turned to Cassandra and added in a more hesitant tone. "Is it? Though, I am curious about the muggle world."

Cassandra couldn't help but smile a bit at Lorcan before she shrugged. "I guess. I mean, the language is sorta different, so why not the cultures? And to answer the question. Yes, we are as rude as everyone makes us out to be and we're probably even ruder in New York and Los Angeles. As for McDonalds, remind me to loan you a copy of that muggle film "Supersize Me"."

Lorcan looked absolutely delighted before Nathan managed to successfully get the boy to sit back down in his seat. That didn't stop the wave of questions that came afterwards though. Almost immediately after it was discovered that the Hufflepuffs had a transfer student in their house, most them were chattering and asking Cassandra so many questions that she started to feel claustrophobic. She had been so used to being thoroughly invisible that the amount of attention she got was overwhelming. From the chaos, she could hear snippets of questions about what America was like and how it was different from England. Others were asking where in America she came from and which school she had attended. There were a few who asked her why she transferred. Several Hufflepuffs were looking at Gryffindor as if to say that they weren't the only ones who had a special new student in their house.

Although Nathan did his best to keep the students from raining questions down on Cassandra, it wasn't really enough. While he was telling people to stop asking and start eating, he apologized profusely; telling her that he should have listened to the Headmistress when she told him to talk to her about her transfer privately if Cassandra happened to be in his house. It wasn't until a pearly white ghost that looked like a monk floated over did everyone settled down.

"Now, now, calm down everyone. I know you are all excited to have Ms. Cassandra here in our house, but remember she is not the only new student in our house," said the ghost. He smiled at Cassandra before giving her a wink to tell her he had the situation under control before drifting off to great some of the other first years.

"That's the Fat Friar," said Nathan as he sat down again, shaking his head. "He's our resident ghost. Here, have some ice cream and an éclair to calm the nerves down."

The heaping pile of food had disappeared and had been replaced by a sweet tooth Wonderland. Cassandra's eyes widened at the sight of giant cakes, blocks of ice cream in what looks like thirty different flavors and mountain high cookies set next to a giant jug of milk. Instead of loading herself on the sugar, Cassandra took two cookies and wrapped it in her napkin before she turned around to watch the rest of the houses now that she had a moment's peace.

As she predicted, Liam was still having a blast at the Gryffindor table. He seemed pleased a peacock, answering questions about America and discussing the differences between Toadstool and Hogwarts. At the Slytherin table, Albus had his book out again and was reading it at one end of the table. DeeDee at the other end was laughing vicariously while leaning on a boy with dirty blonde hair and a muscular frame, clinging to him like a spider to its web. Cassandra watched in disgust as the DeeDee turned to boy and gave him a deep kiss. It was as if DeeDee sensed her stare because the girl smirked once she broke the kiss. She then reached for her wand and pointed it at Albus. Cassandra was about to shout a warning when the goblet of milk in front of Albus tipped over and spilled onto his book.

Clenching her fists, Cassandra narrowed her eyes. If she had it her way, DeeDee wouldn't even get a proper purification. The girl can rot in hell and get burned alive without a single prayer uttered for her immortal soul for picking on her friends.

Turning from Albus to Scorpius, Cassandra saw the other boy glaring daggers at DeeDee also. The plate of strawberries and cream in front of him was left untouched. It didn't seem as if anyone at his table was talking to him either. After he was finished glaring at her, Scorpius turned to the bowl in front of him before pushing it aside. It seemed as if, if he had a choice, Scorpius would have left the banquet already. He seemed bored, annoyed and lonely.

Once everyone had eaten their fill, the desserts were cleared and the plates were left as sparkling clean as they had been when everyone first entered the Great Hall for the banquet. There was a general silence of respect when Professor McGonagall stood up from her chair.

"Now that we have all been fed, a few notices are to be given out before you can be dismissed to your dormitories. I would like to first remind previous students and to warn our new students that the Forbidden Forest is strictly prohibited. The troublemakers who still dare to go out there, I would like to remind you that I know who you are and if you think you can pull a fast one on me, think again.

There is a list of objects that are banned from Hogwarts by suggestion and concern from our caretaker, Mr. Filch. He would also like to say that if he catches any student performing magic between classes or sneaking about at night, he will report them to me immediately. The list can be found on Mr. Filch's office door and on the main announcement board in the Entrance Hall.

Quidditch trials are held on the second week of terms. Please speak with Professor Adrian Pucey if you have questions about trying out for your House Team. Mr. Creevy, the editor for our school newspaper, also wanted to add that a complete list of which positions are open for which house will be available in the next issue of Hogwash which will be printed and distributed by the end of the week.

I would also like to introduce all of you to our new Transfiguration professor. I know all of you must be quite disappointed to see Professor Newmans gone." There was a bit of laughter and sighs of relief when everyone heard that the former Transfiguration teacher was replaced. "So I would like all of you to welcome Professor Ted Lupin."

A wild applause echoed at the Gryffindor table, most notably from relatives and friends of Professor Lupin as the young man stood up and waved. Cassandra blinked once when she saw that his hair was no longer sandy brown but was an odd shade of blue.

"And now it is time for bed. Off you all go."

There was a loud amount of enthusiasm that bled through the crowd as students got up and shuffled about. Prefects for every house were shouting to round up the students and lead them back to their common room. Cassandra looked about, unsure what to do until Nathan placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Lorcan, round up the first years, will you? Cassandra, come with me."

Following Nathan, Cassandra watched as the Head Boy walk over to the Gryffindor table. After a quick conversation with James, he took Liam by the shoulder also. With quick hurried steps Nathan lead Cassandra and Liam out of the Great Hall, pushing the through the crowd of students, until they were in the Entrance Hall. He then led them to the side room where they had waited in before getting sorted.

Once they were inside, Cassandra saw that Professor McGonagall and three other professors, one of them being Professor Flitwick, were waiting for them along with a girl dressed in Gryffindor robes. She too had a badge on her chest. She had long brown hair was tied back into a high ponytail and braces on her teeth.

"Thank you, Wood," said Professor McGonagall as Nathan nodded and walked over to stand next to the girl. Professor McGonagall then looked to Cassandra and Liam. "Now, before the two of you go back to your dormitories with Mr. Wood and Ms. McLaggen here, I believe it's best if we got some business out of the way. I suppose the both of you have selected the O.W.L classes you'll be wanting for your term here?"

Both Cassandra and Liam nodded. "I have our schedules in my bag, but it was packed into my luggage," said Cassandra.

Professor McGonagall nodded, "It's quite fine. I've already summoned your schedules and it's been verified that you both have scored high enough to be joining the rest of the sixth years in those classes. Charms. Transfiguration. Potions. Herbology. Defense Against the Dark Arts. The both of you have quite a load on your shoulders. Now, I would like the both of you to meet Professor Flitwick. He is the Deputy Headmaster here at Hogwarts." Professor Flitwick smiled at the both of them. "Over here is Professor Longbottom. He is the Herbology professor here and Head of the Gryffindor house. Liam, I suggest you stay on his good side."

Liam looked at Professor Longbottom, slightly puzzled before he pointed at the man thoughtfully. "I know you. We've met already... At the Leaky Cauldron, I believe."

Professor Longbottom smiled and nodded before he placed a hand out for Liam to shake. "We have and from what I've seen there, I think I'll be keeping two eyes on you. Not just one," he said jokingly, "And welcome to the Gryffindor house."

"And this is Professor Finch-Fletchey, our Muggle Studies Professor and Head of the Hufflepuff house."

"Welcome to Hufflepuff," said Professor Finch-Fletchey, shaking Cassandra's hand. Cassandra was beginning to wonder exactly how many more hands she was going to have to shake before her arm fell out of its socket. "You'll be our lucky charm to winning the House Cup this year, right?"

"As if," said Professor Longbottom with a joking smile at the Muggle Studies professor, "Gryffindor is going to be taking the cup this year."

"Not if Ravenclaw takes it up first," added Professor Flitwitck with a laugh.

Professor McGonagall looked at the three professors sternly before looking back at Liam and Cassandra. "Everyone here in this room along with the rest of the staff and prefects at Hogwarts are here to help you make your transition from Toadstool go as smooth as possible. Mr. Nathan Wood here, is our Head Boy and Ms. Tiffany McLaggen is the seventh year prefect for Gryffindor. They have agreed to help the both of you adjust to the student life here at Hogwarts and help you feel comfortable in your new homes. Now, it's getting late, off to bed now."

As everyone filed out of the small room, Cassandra glanced at Liam. There was a smug grin resting at the corner of his lips. While the professors went their separate ways, the students stood in the Entrance Hall. Liam then turned to Cassandra, the grin on his face widening. "Well, guess this means we go our separate ways then, Hufflepuff."

"Guess you're right, Gryffindor," said Cassandra before she walked forward and gave Liam a big hug. She didn't want to see him leave to the Gryffindor's common room wherever it was. She would have rather be in the same house as he was. But she also knew that it was a smart move for the both of them to be in different houses because that meant they had more access to the school.

Once the hug was over, Cassandra walked with Nathan towards the hallway beneath the grand staircase while Tiffany led Liam up the stairs. As Cassandra followed Nathan, the older boy explained to her that each of the houses had their own common room where the students slept and enjoyed their free time at. He then proceeded to tell her that the Hufflepuffs had the best common room since it was conveniently located a "hop scotch" away from the kitchens, perfect for midnight snacks. The Slytherin common room was also apparently close by, but since it was located in the dungeons, none of the Hufflepuffs had ever bothered looking for it.

As they entered a long stone corridor with tapestries and several portraits hanging on the walls, lit up by torches, Nathan lead Cassandra towards a pair of double wooden doors. Standing next to the doors were two suits of armor. The one on the right held a lance while the one on the left held a shield. Glistening on their breastplate was the Hufflepuff crest.

"On the right is Sir Humphery and on the left is Sir Wallace. They are the guardians of the Hufflepuff common room," explained Nathan as he pointed at each of them respectably. "You have to give them a password in order for them to open the door to the common room for you and the trick is you have to ask the right knight in order to get in also. The password changes every two weeks along with which one of the knights get to open the door, just look at the announcement board every once and a while so you won't end up locked out. And just remember. Sir Humphery holds the lance and Sir Wallace holds the shield." As he said this, Nathan walked up to Sir Wallace. "Fiddlesticks."

To Cassandra's surprise, Sir Wallace started to move. From the mouth of his helmet, a gold and black key fell out and onto his hand before he walked over to the double doors. After inserting the key and unlocking it, the suit of armor pulled the door open and bowed.

"See? Simple," said Nathan. Before he entered the common room, he pointed down the hall towards the left, "Down that way is the kitchens, by the by. Find a portrait with a bowl of fruit on it and tickle the pear. Just telling you in case you get hungry or something." He then stepped to the side in order for Cassandra to enter.

The Hufflepuff common room has a cozy and fun atmosphere to it. Large plush yellow and black armchairs and couches were scattered throughout the square room. The Hufflepuff crest was draped along the wall above the main door along with stripes of yellow and black banners. The walls sparkled with what look like quartz and other interesting stones. There were also plants everywhere. Bright green vines of ivy and jasmine flower were coiled around the wooden staircase that lead up to what looked like a patio or a balcony. Fragrant flowers clung to the side of the walls. Up on the balcony were tables and bookcases, presumably where the students would study. Interestingly enough, there appeared to be a rope ladder that also leads to the balcony. Also along the walls were various narrow staircases and walkways which lead to small alcoves. Some of the alcoves were like the balcony only smaller, enough for one table, a chair and a lamp or big enough for three or four students but without the chair and table. There were also stairs that lead to what look like little caves in the walls where students can also sit and gossip in private.

At the center of the room was what appeared to be a fire pit where most of the students were currently sitting around. Bags of marshmallow were out and many of them were roasting the sweets the good ol' fashion way with wooden skewers. There was also a giant circular door off to the side where a couple of girls were just walking out of, dressed in their pajamas.

"Follow me," said Nathan as he waved for Cassandra to follow him after greeting some of his fellow Huffleppuffs. As Cassandra followed Nathan towards the large circular door, she noticed a boy with reddish brown hair that reminded her of Rose, sitting with a group of Hufflepuffs at the fire pit, laughing as he watched his black pawn get clobbered by a bishop. Lorcan Scamander was sitting with the other boy also and grinned at Cassandra as she walked past. She was in luck being put in Hufflepuff. Not only did the students seem nice but she was willing to bet that the red head was another Weasely.

As Nathan lead Cassandra through the circular door, Cassandra saw that they were standing in what looked like an underground tunnel, but cozier. Little balls of light floated above them, zipping about leaving a trail of golden light as they passed by. Cassandra could have sworn she heard giggling from the balls of light also.

"Alright then, if you go that way," said Nathan pointing down the tunnel leading right, "You get the boys dorms. Don't even think about trying get a little sneek peak, it's enchanted so girls can't get in. It's the same for the girls dorms which is down that way. And there you have it, the Hufflepuff Common Room."

After thanking Nathan for the brief tour, Cassandra waved before walking down the hall towards the girls dorms. It didn't take long for her to find where the sixth year girls were placed and which bed belonged to her. The square room was just as cozy as the common room was, with potted plants and flowers as decorations. Cassandra came to the conclusion that although the Hufflepuff common room was somewhat underground and was beneath the rest of the castle, it was located at a cliffside. That was the reason why the bedrooms had a magnificent view of the Black Lake. After slipping into her night clothes, Cassandra sighed as she sat down on her bed. It had black sheets and yellow pillows. Even the curtains around her bed were yellow.

Laying back into the plush mattress, Cassandra closed her eyes. This was it. This was the first night of many nights in her new bed and room. The rest of the students were still up and out in the main area, talking and getting to know each other. Cassandra couldn't help but wonder how long the silence was going last until her new roommates arrived for bed. That was when she noticed that she had a few precious moments of solitude to herself.

Feeling too lazy to leave the comfort of her bed, Cassandra reached for her wand and gave it a half hearted wave, pointing it straight ahead.

"Accio, letter."

Her messenger bag twitched lightly and with a rustle the envelope her uncle gave her back at Platform Nine and Three Quarters came zipping at her, landing lightly on her mattress instead of her outstretched hand. Cassandra frowned before she took the letter and opened it. Charms was never one of her best subjects.

A single folded piece of parchment fell out and when Cassandra unfolded it she saw that the letter was blank. Figures. Picking up her wand again, Cassandra glanced at the door before she tapped the parchment lightly. "My name is Cassandra Ray Jenkees, partnered to Shi Huang Liang, Angels and followers of the Saint. By the name of all that is good and holy, reveal your message to me, for my eyes are pure and worthy."

Black ink began to swirl across the parchment when Cassandra moved her wand lightly across the page. The letter's message began to form in neat sharp handwriting that Cassandra recognized as the Saint's.

_Congratulations Cassandra on reaching this far in your task as an Angel of the Witch Hunters._

_You and I both know that infiltrating Hogwarts would be difficult. The Headmistress is clever and knows how to guard her school well. She has after all, survived two wizarding wars and fought in both of them. But I had faith that you and Liam would be able to get her to let her guard down and let the both of you in. I am proud to call the both of you, my angels._

_I must warn you though not to let this small victory get into your head. The hardest part is yet to come but I know that you will be able to overcome this obstacle. After all, Cassandra, keeping secrets and discovering secrets while undercover is one of your natural abilities and charm. Your unique talents will come into play soon, very soon. Until then, I have a different sort of mission for you._

_As you know, Hogwarts is an iconic school where the final battle of the Second Wizarding War was fought. Because of its status, there have been rumors and stories floating about that you will need to keep an eye out for – specifically the story about the Deathly Hallows. Read the story of The Three Brothers by Beedle the Bard to find out what they are and keep an open ear to locate them for me. Two of them are rumored to still be at Hogwarts somewhere, the location of the third is yet to be know. That's why I need you, Cassandra. Those three Hallows are dangerous and must be destroyed properly._

_There is also the issue of the Death Eaters, their children and families. A list. That is what I need you to make. A list of all students at Hogwarts who are pureblooded or halfblooded. Keep an eye out for muggleborns and their families, you are not to harm them. Instead, you are to attempt to recruit and save their souls by having them join us as brothers and sisters. Their souls can still be salvaged without being purified. Send me the list if purebloods once you have gathered all the names along with a list of those you have recruited._

_For now, that is all I ask of you specifically, Cassandra. More instructions will come at a later date and will be sent by your uncle's owl. If you see fit to work with Liam, then the both of you can work on your tasks together. If it is easier for you to work separately, then that is your decision to make._

_There is also one reminder I must give to the both of you. Under no circumstance are you to attempt to purify a student while on the grounds of Hogwarts. The both of you are already under scrutiny by the Headmistress and it would be very interesting if students turned up purified in England the same way they have been turned up in America on the same year you and Liam transferred._

_Have faith in this though, Cassandra. The entire wizarding world will be destroyed. All we need is time, patience and information. We will try to save as many lives as we can in the process. Follow my instructions and we will bring an end to the corruption._

_The Saint_

Cassandra skimmed over the letter. These were her assignments the Saint had given her and even though she was curious about them, it was not in her right to question his motives. She was going to have a talk with Liam about his assignments as soon as she can. In her opinion it would be better if the both of them knew what the other was assigned to do. That way, they can help each other out.

Waving her wand over the letter again, Cassandra watched as the words scrambled themselves so that if a stray housemate picks up the letter, all they would read would be a letter from her uncle asking about her time at Hogwarts. An uncertain edge began to form in the corner of her mind as Cassandra laid back into the plush pillows on her bed, using her wand to slide the curtains close. She couldn't help but wonder...

Exactly how was the Saint going to destroy the entire wizarding world?

xxx

**Author's Note:** Ok, not really a note but more like a mini rant. But DEAR EFFIN' MERLIN! I absolutely hate the bloody Sorting Hat right now and coming up with a decent list of teachers for the new Hogwarts pretty much is one of the most frustrating things in the world. Ten points for anyone who can guess the entire staff list for the new Hogwarts, though you really don't have too since I probably won't give the answer – you're gonna have to read to find out if you're right not. XP

OH! Also, whaddya think of the Hufflepuff common room, eh? The Gryffindors can have their tower, same with the Ravenclaws. Slytherins can keep their dreary ol' Dungeon. Why? Because the Hufflepuff common room is da bomb. A fire pit in the middle of the room instead of a boring fireplace. Cool looking alcoves and stairs on the walls? And not one but two, let me repeat that, TWO guardians to their common room. So HA! 8D

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Witch Hunt". Reviews, critques, opinions and all that will be greatly appreciated. I would love to hear from everyone who reads this fic - half because I want to improve as a writer and half because I would love to know how many people enjoy reading this piece of fiction. A few announcements to be made:

1) I am currently taking some classes over the summer. I'm hoping that it's not going to hinder my usual Wednesday/Thursday weekly updates. If it does, please just sit tight. Summer school only lasts 6 weeks.

2) I am also in the process of writing a Scorpius/Rose fic, depicting their relationship at Hogwarts. It's going to be formatted sort of like a series of short stories, sort of not. I dunno. I attempted to write a series of short stories entitled "**Golden Days**" depicting Harry and Company set Post-War... yea NOT gonna be doing that again. The reason why I'm writing a Scorpius/Rose fic is because I also love this couple, though I do like a Scorpius/Lily pairing also, and I figured that I should have a fic entirely based around their relations. The story will be written and in no way related to plot for With Hunt. The characters? Yes. You will be seeing Nicholas, Zachary, DeeDee and all of them in **Change of Heart**. Liam and Cassandra will be making cameo appearences also as students at Hogwarts so keep an eye out for them. There is no set release date for **Change of Heart**, but I will notify people in my next chapter update about this fic. :3

3) I have a short story up on my fictionpress account. If you're interested in reading it, please, take a look. ^^ My username there is **N.T Rayne**


	6. Rumors, Lies & Explanations

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Six: **Misunderstandings, Gossips, Explanations

**Disclaimer: **Whatever belongs to JK Rowling belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me belongs to me.

**Special thanks to:**

**You Know Who: **For your review. Most of this story was inspired by the idea of the Salem Witch Trials that happened in... I don't quite remember how long ago XD Colonial times? I fail as a student. As for your question, yes Harry will be playing a bit more of a role in the story later on. As will Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco, and almost everyone we know and loved in the Harry Potter series. Remember, Mr. Jenkees is working in the Ministry so he's stirring up trouble there to. As for the Patronus charm, not too much to say here since I'm not too sure if there's going to be a DADA class written in or not. And I'm glad that you find my story a keeper. 8D

**Birchsong21: **In character? 8D If there was a way to do a happy dance on the internet, I would do one already. XD Nick Creevy and Zachary Jordan~ Well, you'll be seeing more of Nicholas in this chapter, so huzzah!

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 2nd - Friday ; Third Floor, Charms Class ; 10:48 am

xxx

Could class be any more boring?

Liam yawned as he struggled to stay awake in Professor Flitwick's charms class. It would have been difficult enough for Liam to try to stay awake on a normal day. Charms was his best class after all, and Liam never felt that he had to pay attention in class to excel in it. But today wasn't a normal day.

Today was one giant hangover from a night of severe fun in the form of Weasley Wizard Wheezes products – from that inane Sparkle Fairy that Liam still didn't like to various poppers and firecrackers that made so much noise in the common room that Rose threatened to hex them if she so much as heard another pop – and extreme sleep deprivation. James and Zachary had spent the entire night entertaining new and old Gryffindors in the common room with varies tricks while Liam spent most of the night answering questions, talking with the students. Everyone seemed to be curious about him being a transfer student and Liam was more than happy to answer their questions. It was dawn when the party finally died down. He didn't know when he fell asleep. All Liam knew was that he received a rather rude awakening from Rose who practically dragged him off the couch he had fallen asleep in and into the Great Hall. How he managed to get to the third floor and into class, was still a mystery to him.

Yes, a hangover. That's what today was. Now if only he had some aspirin or coffee. Or something.

Yawning again, Liam sighed as he leaned back into his chair and began looking around the classroom. If his mind was going to wander, he might as well let it wander. That was when he noticed that, like the Great Hall, the class seemed to be segregated into separate sections. The Ravenclaws kept to themselves at the front of the class. Hufflepuffs were near the back at the corner. Slytherin took the other corner at the back. Rose was sitting next to him, along with four other Gryffindors whom Liam never bothered to remember their names. The only area of the classroom that wasn't segregated was in the far back.

As he set his quill down, allowing the ink to splatter across his notes, Liam glanced at Professor Flitwick. The little man was still babbling on about the difficulty of performing the summoning spell wordlessly. Nothing important. Just requires a lot of attention that Liam didn't have right now. Another glance at Rose, who seemed point blank determined to keep him out of mischief – she said it's because if she can't keep James out of trouble, the least she can do is keep one of James's friends out of trouble. She was busy taking notes. Good.

Discreetly as possibly, Liam began to tear a piece of spare parchment into a square before folding it into an origami crane. Another glance around the classroom. Everyone was still taking notes. Turning around, Liam looked at the three students sitting in the way back dressed in green, yellow and blue respectively. Liam couldn't help but grin as he picked up his wand and whispered a quick incantation. The origami crane wiggled the fluttered to life.

Cassandra was busy skimming through the charms book when the crane landed on her desk. Scorpius was the one to notice it though and Liam frowned when the other boy picked it up.

_That wasn't meant for you, you nosy stuck up devil incarnate_, thought Liam as he watched Scorpius observe the paper crane. _That's right, give it back to Cassie._

Before Liam could see Cassandra's reaction to his paper crane, he felt a swift kick to his shin. It took all he could not to yelp from surprise as he turned around to face the front.

"What was that for?" hissed Liam as he picked up his quill again, giving Rose a sharp glare.

"To get you to pay attention," whispered Rose. She didn't look at him. Not once. "We already have James to thank for the reputation Gryffindor has for having a short attention span. We don't need you to help him uphold it."

"So I'm assuming you're the one that gives Gryffindor their reputation for being violent?"

"Just pay attention to Professor Flitwick already."

Scowling, Liam rolled his eyes before he started to doodle on the blank space of his parchment. Never again was he going to take Cassandra for granted. Sure he complains about her being no fun, boring and uptight but at least Cassandra left him to do his own thing when he wanted too. Rose? The girl was insane and obsessed about trying to improve or maintain Gryffindor's house image.

"You know you only nag because you love me," muttered Liam, absently using the line he uses on Cassandra when he had no other comebacks to use.

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

Of course, he had completely forgotten that he was talking to Rose, not Cassandra.

When he realized this, Liam froze in his doodling. He was about to brush it off as nothing but then he stopped himself. Instead he grinned his Cheshire Cat grin and continued finishing his doodle. "You know what I said. Don't deny it, either, hot stuff," he said before he glanced at her, the grin still obvious on his face as he winked at her.

The puzzled glare Rose gave him was so amusing that Liam just had to laugh. He didn't know for how long or how loud the laugh was. It could have been a short laugh that was loud enough for everyone to hear or a quiet laugh that was noticeable enough for everyone to see. All Liam knew was that the entire class had gone silent and was staring at him while Professor Flitwick had stopped mid-lecture.

"Mr. Liang," said Flitwick after a few seconds. He was looking at Liam with confusion and a bit of annoyance, "Would you please share to the rest of the class what it is that you find so funny?"

Uh-oh. Now he was in trouble.

Clearing his throat, Liam quickly recomposed himself and remolded his grin into a softer, less conniving grin as he looked at Professor Flitwick. "I'm so sorry, Professor Flitwick sir. I was just remembering a time back at Toadstool. See, I was part of the dueling club back at Toadstool and I had this friend, Sang Min. He's a year above me and was learning wordless magic and he was part of the dueling club also. We were practicing dueling each other one day and well, see, he was trying to catch me off guard and was about to perform a spell without saying the incantation. And apparently what happened was that he was thinking and concentrating on the spell he was going to perform but then since he was concentrating so hard he accidentally said the spell out loud, incorrectly. Long story short instead of sending me flying across the room like he wanted too, he ended up summoning pink platypus that attacked him. Isn't that right, Cassandra?"

Immediately Liam and the rest of the class turned around to the back of the room where Cassandra was seated. She looked completely surprised at the sudden turn of attention. The surprise didn't last long though before she furrowed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes at him. "The way I remembered it, you were the one that wanted to show off and prove to Sang Min that you can do wordless magic without learning it and ended up with a pink platypus chasing you around campus."

It was Liam's turn to glare at Cassandra now while the rest of the class was laughing. He was about to turn around in a huff when he noticed that she was mouthing something. He squinted, trying to make out the words but Professor Flitwick started talking before he could decipher even the first word.

"Did you say that you were a part of the dueling club, Liam?"

Turning around immediately, Liam grinned and nodded. The role model student persona was back up and running. "Not to be bragging or anything but Principal McKinley did say that I was one of the best duelists at Toadstool Academy."

That statement made Professor Flitwick clap his hands in excitement. "Excellent. You and I are going to need to have a talk one of these days, now I am extremely curious about the different dueling rules in America. Now, they are very slight but make a big impact on the overall duel."

"I'd be honored to have that talk with you, Professor Flitwick."

That put Professor Flitwick into an even happier mood as he resumed his lecture with a slightly more chipper voice.

Leaning back into his chair, Liam glanced over at Rose. She was looking at him with a sort of glare that wasn't exactly angry but wasn't exactly pleasant either. Exasperated, Liam rolled his eyes. "What's with the look?"

Disgust. That was the sort of glare she was giving him. There was a faint amount of disgust in her eyes.

"You are such a liar. Probably worse than my cousin."

Sighing, Liam shook his head before plunging his hand up into the air. "Professor Flitwick?"

Once he caught the professor's attention, Liam didn't wait for the man to even call out his name before he started speaking. "Ok, I'll admit. It was half a lie what I said earlier. I was thinking about Toadstool but honestly my mind was on how beautiful Rose looked today. I mean let's be honest here. By a show of hands, how many people here thinks that Rose looks absolutely stunning?"

There were a few murmurs from the students as Liam turned around to look at them with his hand still up. All of the Gryffindors had raised their hands along with a couple of the Hufflepuffs. There were a one or two Ravenclaws and none of the Slytherins. One of the Slytherin girls, a girl with an overgrown pixie cut who looked like a spider was actually sniggering as if the thought of Rose being pretty was a funny idea. Liam then turned back to the back of the room. He ignored Albus and Scorpius and looked straight at Cassandra. She was looking just as puzzled as everyone else was until she saw him mouthing the words: after class.

When it looked like she had gotten the message, Liam was about to turn back around. About to that is until he saw Scorpius's reaction to his outburst. The Malfoy boy looked like he wanted to skin Liam alive before feeding his remains to the so-called giant squid that lived in the Black Lake. That made Liam grin before sticking his tongue out slightly. The mocking gesture was so fast though, if Scorpius had seen it, he would have thought that it was his imagination.

As he turned back to the front, Liam saw that Professor Flitwick was looking at him like he was insane while Rose had her face buried in her arms on her desk. He would have stuck his tongue at Rose too, if Flitwick wasn't looking at him.

"I'm sorry Professor," said Liam, "I was just... I just felt kind of guilty sort of, half lying to you earlier. You can, give me the detention now for disrupting the class. Just, please don't take points away from Gryffindor."

Professor Flitwick looked at Liam some more before he cleared his throat. "Five points from Gryffindor for disruptive behavior."

The Gryffindors surrounding Liam glared at him. The one most horrified by the news was Rose who had looked up and was completely shocked. She looked at Liam with the same intense hatred Scorpius had given him earlier.

"And five points for Gryffindor for that bit of honesty there."

The look on Rose's face when Flitwick announced that the points were given back to Gryffindor?

Priceless.

Liam grinned as he settled back to doodling on his parchment, ignoring all the stares he got from the rest of the students. With one last stroke, the picture was complete: a shield with a sword across it and a crown was added above it.

Once class was over, Liam stuffed his notes and doodles into his bookbag before he stood up. Half of his attention was on Rose who was refusing to look at him and the other half was on Cassandra who seemed to be taking her sweet time packing while talking to Albus and Scorpius. Or rather, just Albus since Scorpius looked absolutely furious still.

"Come on, let's head back to the common room," said Rose as she walked past Liam.

Grinning, Liam shrugged. He took a few steps to follow her when his eyes met Scorpius's. All of a sudden it felt as if the entire world had slowed into a grinding halt and the sun had turned arctic cold. Liam's eyes narrowed at Scorpius before he tilted his head up a bit. He would have suddenly grinned and gave Scorpius a goofy peace sign to throw him off if it wasn't for that Slytherin girl walking past and deliberately bumping into the other boy.

Liam watched as the girl walked out of the classroom before he turned back and saw Cassandra looking most displeased by the girl. Obviously something was up. As if she noticed him staring, Cassandra nodded at him. That was his cue to go on out ahead while she waited for Albus to ask Professor Flitwick a few questions.

Outside the class, Liam took a deep breath and sighed. He felt as if a giant weight had been lifted and all those hours of lost sleep had suddenly vanished into thin air. He was feeling so good that he didn't notice Rose until he felt her smack him across the head with a stack of papers.

"Hey! What was that for?" he hissed, turning to look at her. "You do realize that paper is dangerous you know? You could have given me a paper cut and it could have gotten infected."

"You'll live," said Rose bluntly before she smacked him again with her notes. "You know, I thought that I wouldn't find anyone worse than James. You proved me wrong. Not only are you self absorbed and conceited. You're a horrible liar and a horrible womanizer. Everyone knows that I'm not the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, so don't even say I am."

"I never said you were the prettiest girl at Hogwarts, I just said I thought you were pretty." Liam rolled his eyes and reached into his bookbag. Pulling out a lollipop, he unwrapped it and stuck it into his mouth. "And what makes you say I'm a womanizer? The only girl I've flirted with was Lily, and that's because I actually like her."

"And yet you went and flirted with me."

"Hey, teasing and flirting are not the same thing," said Liam, taking the lollipop from his mouth and pointing it at her. "Besides, you've known me for what? One and a half days? You really have no right to judge me like that. I know you're only looking out for me. I know the prefects were told to make sure the brand new shiny American transfer students are comfortably settled into Hogwarts. I know it's your job to make sure I know all the rules, but don't go acting like you're my mom. Cassandra's already doing a good job at that."

Liam would have added that in his opinion, he thought that Rose was a complete control freak but held his tongue instead. That would make him a hypocrite if he said that.

For a moment Rose looked shocked before she took a deep breath and sighed. She shook her head and shrugged. "Alright, fine. I won't dog your steps like I did today and I'm sorry for judging you before getting to know you. But you need to learn to control that mouth of yours. That was not funny what you did in there. Anyways." Rose readjusted her bookbag strap and nodded down the hall, "You want to head back to the common room now?"

Right as she said that the door to the Charms classroom opened and Cassandra, Albus and Scorpius were walking out. Liam shook his head as he took the lollipop from his mouth again, "You go ahead. I'm gonna visit Cassandra for a bit, see how she's adjusting to Hogwarts. Then I'm suppose to meet with Nick at the-"

"At the Hogwash and Hoodlum's office, right. Your interview is today," finished Rose before she looked at the stack of paper in her hand. "While you're there, give these to Nick, will you? It's my piece for the newspaper." Once she had given Liam her story, Rose gave him a quick wave before she turned to Cassandra, Albus and Scorpius. "See you, Albus. Have fun in Care for Magical Creatures."

Liam watched as Albus gave his cousin a wave. Scorpius was watching Rose as she walked off, not even giving him so much as a glance. "So he likes her," said Liam, twirling his lollipop, "Now it all makes sense."

Albus was waving goodbye to Cassandra and Scorpius before he turned and looked at Liam. He gave Liam a curious stare before continuing down the hall to his next class. Liam couldn't help but wonder what career path Albus was planning on pursuing with a class like Care for Magical Creatures. In his opinion, Care for Magical Creatures was a useless elective.

Once Albus was gone, Liam finally made his way over to Cassandra and Scorpius. He was miffed that Scorpius didn't decide to follow Albus or went off on his own. Even though Liam knew that it was for the best that he and Cassandra were in separate houses, he hated the fact that they barely would have time to discuss their plans in private.

"Hey Hufflepuff,," said Liam as he pulled Cassandra into a quick hug, "How's your first day of school? No jerks," at the word 'jerk' Liam glanced at Scorpius, "Picking on you, making your life miserable?"

"The only jerk who's making my life miserable is you, Gryffindor." Even though she sounded annoyed at him, no doubt about the lie he made up about Sang Min being chased by a pink platypus, her smile was genuine. "Anyways, Liam this is Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius, this is the annoying friend I was telling you and Albus about."

He didn't want to be nice to Scorpius, but life was a stage and sometimes the actors had to play their part. So putting on his best smile, Liam placed his hand out, "Scorpius Malfoy. You're not related to Draco Malfoy by any chance are you?"

That one question was like a knife stabbed into the conversation.

Scorpius looked at Liam, his eyes narrowed. The few seconds it took for Scorpius to answer felt like an eternity.

"Yes, I am," said Scorpius, refusing to take Liam's offered hand.

While Scorpius's lips tightened into a frown, Liam's twisted into a grin.

"You know, I've heard rumors from people that your father was the youngest Death Eater ever, is that true? Because looking at you, it's hard to believe that you come from a family that hates non magic people and half bloods and all that. I mean, you are friends with one of Harry Potter's son after all."

Scorpius's eyes narrowed and it looked as if he was going to punch Liam if Cassandra hadn't stepped in between the both of them. "Liam," said Cassandra abruptly. "Did you read the letter Uncle Jenkees gave you?"

"Letter? What letter?"

"You know, the letter he gave us at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. You should take a look at it when you get the chance." She then turned to Scorpius. "Come on, let's go to Care for Magical Creatures. I know neither of us are in that class, but from what Albus told me that class sounds pretty interesting.. I also heard that the professor who teaches that class is half giant, is that true?"

Before Scorpius could even say anything, Cassandra grabbed him by the arm and half pulled him in the direction Albus had disappeared into. Liam watched as Cassandra and Scorpius walked off. Even though he was annoyed that Scorpius had prevented him and Cassandra from discussing Witch Hunter matters, he was glad that Cassandra had dragged him off. Just simply being in the presence of the other boy was enough to make him want to gag. It was still hard for Liam to believe that a son of a former death eater actually had the guts to go to Hogwarts. No matter though, as long as Cassandra was pretending to be friends with Scorpius then he was going to have to play nice. Of course, Liam had to wonder… how is it that the son of the man who defeated Lord Voldemort sorted into Slytherin and the son of a death eater sorted into Ravenclaw?

Liam then frowned as he took a bite out of his lollipop.

Slytherin was associated with Lord Voldemort. The dark arts. Death Eaters.

_You would do well in Slytherin. An ambitious drive, a thirst for knowledge and a chance to shine. Yes, you would do very well in Slytherin. No? My, my, it seems as if students these days are getting pickier and pickier about the houses they get sorted into. In that case, I suppose you'll fit right in with-_

"Gryffindor," muttered Liam before he turned around and made his way towards the staircase that would lead him to the fourth floor. "It chose to put me in Gryffindor."

xxx

Two words could be used to sum up the office for Hogwash and Hoodlums: organized chaos.

When Liam entered the office, he glanced around the once abandoned classroom with his mouth opened slightly. Cassandra's uncle would have a heart attack if he saw this office. Even though it was only the second day of school, already the office was a mess. Parchment and paper were tacked on the walls and strewn across the floor in rows or piles. The chalkboard had diagrams and notes written, erased and crossed out with various footnotes, referencing to another section of the board. There were several desks grouped together to form a sort of square. Liam supposed that the group of desks were to be used for meetings and discussions.

Right now, though, it looked as if it was being used to plan and organize something.

Nicholas Creevy was sitting at the center of the desks with charmed pieces of parchment floating around him. There were three Quick Quote Quills writing all around him while he read the paper in his hand. When Liam closed the door behind him, Nicholas looked up before he glanced back down at the paper.

"You're late."

Setting his bookbag down, Liam took out two lollipops and shrugged before he walked over to the desks. Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Got lost going up a trick staircase. Somehow walking upstairs lead me downstairs into the dungeons. Lollipop?"

Nicholas shook his head. "So what's with you and lollipops?"

"I have a sweet tooth," said Liam as he glanced at what the quills were writing. As if sensing his stare, the quills stopped what they were doing before floating off to the other end of the room. "By the way, Rose told me to give you this. It's her story for the paper or something. And so... Shall we get this interview started, or what?"

Nicholas sighed as he set the stack of paper he had been reading down. From the quick glance Liam got of it, he had been reading and revising Lily's interview with the new Transfiguration teacher. Nicholas then took Rose's story from Liam, gave it a quick glance and tossed it ontop of Lily's story.

"In a bit," said Nicholas as he looked around. When he saw that his quills and parchment had migrated to the other end of the room, he rolled his eyes before he whistled. Immediately the quills and parchment came zipping back. "I just started editing Lily's and James's stories. I'm on a roll and I don't want to break it. Then again, if you're in a hurry, I can-"

"Nope, no hurry." One of the lollipops was unwrapped and placed in his mouth again while Liam pocketed the other. Leaning back on the chair so that it was balanced on its back legs, Liam glanced around at the office while Nicholas went back to editing. As his mind began to wander, Liam realized that this was the perfect time for him to ask questions.

If Nicholas was the editor for the school newspaper, then he must know almost everything that goes on at Hogwarts. Reporters were psychic like that.

The other boy's attention was solely on editing when Liam looked over at him. Taking the lollipop from his mouth, Liam set then set his chair on all four legs again. "Hey, Nick?"

Nicholas's eyes stopped skimming the story. He glanced up and arched an eyebrow at Liam. "Hm?"

Biting his bottom lip, Liam wondered what the best way to phrase his question was. It was a question that had bothered him since the Welcoming Feast the night before. When Liam saw that Nicholas was now reading Rose's story on the Welcoming Feast, Liam suppressed a grin before he nodded at the article. "The sorting hat," he said, "Does it always sing songs that are depressing? I mean, the song isn't all that depressing but what's with that whole "United we stand, Divided we fall" omen or whatever?"

After Liam asked his question, Nicholas frowned before he placed Rose's story down and sighed. He looked tired as he pushed the glasses he wore up the bridge of his nose. A few scattered seconds of silence passed. During those seconds, Liam wondered if he had asked the right question. He was curious about the sorting hat's song. Not only because the song sounded like an omen, but he found it suspicious to be singing about a possible fall of Hogwarts on the day he and Cassandra arrived. Just because he was hungry, didn't mean that he hadn't been paying attention to what's going on.

"You know, never mind. Bad question," said Liam, about to change the topic. "I was just wondering because-"

"No, No." Nicholas shook his head before he turned and faced Liam. "That was a good question – a valid question. You haven't been around Hogwarts long enough to know the whole history of what's going on. It's a bit of a long story so, just sit tight. Sooner or later you're going to have to know about Hogwart's social dynamic if you want to survive it."

Liam grinned as he placed the lollipop back in his mouth. "I'm all ears."

"Good," said Nicholas with a nod. He sighed again and ran a hand through his brown hair.

"I'm pretty sure that you already noticed that the houses at Hogwarts don't exactly get along. It's always sort of been like that. Gryffindor hates Slytherin. Slytherin hates Gryffindor. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff just stays out of the house rivalries. That's basically how it's always been. But after the Second Wizarding War everything changed. It wasn't like that. All four houses actually got along with each other. It didn't matter if you were a Gryffindor, a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff. Everyone was friends with each other and as the sorting hat said, it was because everyone held together during the war. People might argue that the Slytherins left the castle before the battle at Hogwarts occurred and it's true, they did leave. Some of them because they believed it was useless to fight. Others left to find re-enforcement at Hogsmeade. Long story short, everyone stood together."

"Although condemned to be separated, they stood united. Brothers and sisters in arms, and fought the battle valiantly," said Liam quoting the Sorting Hat. "I always heard that no Slytherins returned to the Battle at Hogwarts."

Nicholas scoffed and shook his head. "Rumors. Nothing but gossip and rumors. That's what the Gryffindors here wants you to believe also. But I'm an honest reporter. I report the facts and not the lies. The fact is, Slytherin students like Theodore Nott and Scorpius's mother, Astoria Greengrass, returned to Hogwarts with villagers from Hogsmeade to help fight the battle. If it wasn't for them, Hogwarts would have been overtaken."

"Scorpius's mother?" Liam's wrinkled his nose. There was more venom in his voice than intended.

Another moment of scattered silence.

Nicholas's brows were furrowed as he bit his bottom lip. "He's not that bad of a kid," said Nicholas, slowly as if choosing his words carefully. "I mean, he is friends with Albus after all and – don't tell James I said this – Albus is actually a better person than James is."

When he saw the confused look on Liam's face, Nicholas shook his head. He uncrossed his legs and slid off the group of desks he had been sitting on then took a seat on one of the chairs. He looked at Liam, his lips in a tight line. It looked as if he wanted to say something but at same time, wasn't sure about it.

"This is strictly between you and me, alright?" said Nicholas. Once Liam nodded, Nicholas took a deep breath and sighed a cleansing breath before continuing his story. "I'm telling you this because... Well, I don't really know why I'm telling you this. I just know that what James did to Hogwarts is wrong. Maybe I'm telling you this now because you're new to Hogwarts, you haven't been completely corrupted by the social war that's going on. Maybe I'm telling you this because you have a friend, and actual genuine friend in Hufflepuff who is friends with someone in Slytherin and Ravenclaw and maybe that friendship can grow and- I dunno. To be cliché, maybe that friendship will grow and bring Hogwarts back to when the Second Wizarding War ended.

I told you that Hogwarts had always had it house rivalries. It was the norm and it started again about two years before James, Zack and I entered Hogwarts. Nothing serious, just some friendly competition. It was still like that in our first year. Gryffindors walking around, priding themselves for being the house with the best legacy. Ravenclaws have Luna Lovegood. Hufflepuffs have Cedric. Slytherin, Astoria.

But James, James had an ego because he was the son of Harry Potter."

Nicholas paused here as if to recollect his thoughts again.

"James isn't a bad person. He's a good friend, a loyal friend. He might be a prankster and a little too egocentric for his own good but he's a good person. But the fame and everything got to his head. What started as little arguments over which house was better, became full on fights. We didn't think that it was a big deal. It was all about house pride.

Then the next year, in our second year, three people entered Hogwarts and those fights became a full on war. Three people:

Deidra Flint. Albus Potter. Scorpius Malfoy.

Obviously everyone thought that Albus would be sorted into Gryffindor and Scorpius into Slytherin. Family tradition tends to dictate which house someone gets sorted into. James was expecting to welcome his little brother into Gryffindor and complete the Potter legacy. Imagine his surprise when Albus wasn't sorted into Gryffindor but instead got into Slytherin. Even McGonagall looked completely shocked by the news.

You already know that James hate Slytherin with a passion. It's a bias I'm pretty sure he got from his family, not his father but definitely his Uncle Ron and possibly his mother. James took Albus being sorted into Slytherin as a personal insult. Somehow in his mind he thought that Albus was a traitor to the Potter family for being sorted into Slytherin.

As for Scorpius? James hated Scorpius from the start. They didn't even have to talk to each other to hate each other. When Scorpius got sorted into Ravenclaw, James immediately saw Ravenclaw as a dysfunctional house and started hating them.

Honestly, Scorpius and Albus had the short end of the stick. Scorpius was completely outcasted from the start. I mean, who really wants to be friends with the son of a former Death Eater? He was picked on by James, Zack and, I'll admit, me. The Slytherins saw him as a traitor and the rest of the school just don't want to make friends with him.. Albus in Slytherin? Not only does James refuse to talk to him but he has to deal with Deidra, the self-proclaimed Slytherin princess. She and the rest of the Slytherins don't like Albus because Albus is a Potter. And the rest of the school doesn't want to associate themselves with him because they saw him as a traitor.

It was no surprise to me when the both of them became best friends.

As for Deidra, she was the first person to stand up against James. The girl has guts, even though she isn't the most pleasant of people to be around. It was our fourth year, her third year, that she got all the Slytherins to retaliate every time James tried to put them down. She somehow got Ravenclaw to completely mistrust Gryffindor also. Out of all the houses, Hufflepuff is the only one who kept out of the chaos. But then in its own way, that's a form of segregation also. Rather than spread out and make friends with other houses, they just stick to themselves.

There are friendships outside house friendships, like Rose who is friends with the other prefects, but houseblood is thicker than water.

So, long story short and to answer your question... Life at Hogwarts is not going well at all. The teachers know it, the students know it and now, I guess it's gotten so bad that even the Sorting Hat knows it. And now that the Sorting Hat knows it, it decides to warn us that if we continue to be this separated, we're going to end up destroying ourselves."

So the Sorting Hat's song had nothing to do with him and Cassandra. It had everything to do with the Hogwart students tearing themselves apart from the inside out.

A bubble of excitement swelled in Liam's chest but he did his best to pop that bubble. It would be rude and suspicious if he started smiling at the news Nicholas had just given him. Destroying Hogwarts was going to be much easier than he thought, especially since Hogwarts was already in such a mess.

Standing up, Liam sat at the edge of the desk and placed a hand on Nicholas's shoulder. "I'm guessing that you've been thinking about this for a while now and finally got the chance to talk about it, hm?"

"I guess," said Nicholas. A smile then made its way across Nicholas's lips before he started laughing. Liam was completely taken aback by the laugh and for a few seconds all he could do was stare until Nicholas's laughter subsided. "Sorry about that," he said, "I just found it funny because I'm suppose to be interviewing you and not the other way around."

He then glanced out the window. The sun was high in the sky now and it looked like it was past noon. There was a clear September sky outside. "So, do you still have time to do the interview, or no?"

Liam shrugged. "Don't really have much scheduled in today. I just have one more question for you before we start my interview."

"Ask away."

"Why are you still friends with James? I mean, after all this... it's pretty obvious you're still close friends with him and Zack."

Nicholas didn't answer the question right away. Instead he was still looking out the window before he got up and walked over to one of the Quick Quote Quills. He picked it up and took the piece of paper before turning around and looking at Liam. "You wouldn't abandon a friend just because they're the world's biggest prat, would you?"

Before Liam could answer the question, Nicholas walked over and sat down in front of him. Quill at the ready and parchment laid out in front of him. "By the way, there's an opening on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. James wants you to try out to be a seeker."

The sudden change of topic made Liam frown a bit but the frown became a look of pure shock as he felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. "Seeker?"

Nicholas nodded. "Yes, seeker. Apparently you told him that you liked Quidditch when the both of you first met and he said that you'd make a great seeker. You have the build of a seeker and everything apparently."

Liam felt the blood rush from his face as he turned from Nicholas and swallowed hard. He always knew that trying to get into James's inner circle would be challenging. He never knew that one of those challenges would include Quidditch.

"Just so you know Lily's a chaser. You can spend more time with her once you make the team."

If Liam could speak without betraying his secret, he would have corrected Nicholas already. It wouldn't be once he makes the team. It would be if he makes the team.

Quidditch.

Liam absolutely hated Quidditch.

xxx

**Author's Notes**: Haha, not exactly the best chapter in this story but it was a necessary chapter for background info on what happened at Hogwarts. Some of you have wondered why Scorpius and Albus were at the bottom of the social ladder at Hogwarts, well, now you know why. It's because the Slytherins hate Albus and the rest of the school sees him as a traitor to his family and to the Gryffindor house. Not only because he's in Slytherin but because he became friends with Scorpius. Scorpius because well, he's Draco's son who betrayed the Slytherin house since he got sorted into Ravenclaw instead.

Anyways, please review Witch Hunt. I know this chapter is not the most awesome chapter ever, but it was a necessary chapter. D: I'm sorry, please forgive me.

Also, from now on, I'll be replying to registered reviews via the "review reply" option... which, silly me, I didn't notice until just now. But I will still be thanking everyone and responding to non-registered reviews via the chapters. 8D

Btw, I'm kind of wondering. Does anyone remember that Liam has bleached blonde hair? XD I honestly can't imagine him with brown hair. I keep trying but can't.


	7. A Challenge of Potions

**Witch Hunt**

**By: xLucky-Sparks**

**Chapter Seven:** A Challenge of Potions

**Disclaimer: **Whatever belongs to JK Rowling belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me belongs to me.

**Special thanks to:**

**My Reviewers: **Jesusfreak917, anamolly2013, CocoaTea, Birchsong21 and You Know Who

**People who Favorite Witch Hunt: **CocoaTea and Moonlessnte

**People who put Witch Hunt on Story Alert: **AMillionSynthians, SeRIoUS-Marauding-Wolf

**People who put me on their Favorite Author's List: **CocoaTea and MelanieBelikov

**People who put me on their Author Alert List: **CocoaTea

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 5th ; Dungeons ; Morning

xxx

"Round about the cauldron go;  
In the poison'd entrails throw-  
Toad that under, cold stone,  
Days and night has thirty-one;  
Swelter'd venom sleeping got,  
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot  
Double double toil and trouble,  
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Simmering potions, bubbling brews, there was a thick haze of steam that coated the dungeon walls as Cassandra entered the Potions classroom. It wasn't just a haze that simply ensnared the senses but the mind as well. Cassandra found herself wandering and listless. Curiosity, that's what she felt as she placed her bookbag down on a table in the back of the room and sat down. There was the scent of curiosity in the air along with an assortment of other smells.

Citrus orange with a lemon twist. Soft earth after the rain falls. Chocolate. Warm dying embers. Polished wood.

As she placed her bookbag down on a table in the back, Cassandra glanced around at the classroom. She was early. A glance at the clock told her that she was twenty minutes early to be exact.

"Fillet of a fenny snake,  
In the cauldron boil and bake;  
Eye of newt and toe of frog,  
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,  
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,  
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,  
For a charm of powerful trouble,  
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble  
Double, double toil and trouble,  
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Another glance around the empty classroom. No one. Without another thought she walked over to the simmering cauldrons. Even though Cassandra had been in Potions every single year at Toadstill, she still always had a curiosity for subject and brews. It was fascinating and haunting in a spine tingling way how one drop of a certain potion can kill someone and another drop revive them. A clear colorless potion was in the first small cauldron in she approached. Cassandra leaned forward and inhaled. Nothing. In fact, it looked exactly like water. She was tempted to dip her finger in to have a taste but stopped herself.

For all she knew it could be death in there.

The next cauldron held a pale pink potion with interesting steam spiraling from it. That was where the interesting smells were coming from. Cassandra half grinned when she recognized the potion. Amorentia. Liam fell victim to it once during their fourth year. Made him a complete and utter idiot for an entire week. Of course, no one told the teachers and Gregory, Bianca's partner and one of the best students at potions, refused to make him an antidote. It was just too funny to see Liam obsessed over someone. He was thoroughly embarrassed after the week was over.

A golden potion at the front of the room caught Cassandra's attention. Bypassing the rest of the cauldrons, Cassandra walked over the small cauldron.

"Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,  
Witches' mummy, maw and gulf  
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,  
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,  
Liver of blaspheming Jew,  
Gall of goat, and slips of yew  
Silver'd in the moon's eclipse,  
Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips,  
Finger of birth-strangled babe  
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,  
Make the gruel thick and slab:  
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,  
For the ingredients of our cauldron."

It was a curious potion that splashed about merrily like it was alive. Shimmering like molten gold and it sounded as if the potion itself was laughing merrily. Cassandra felt guddy just looking at the potion. Now she was tempted to reach forward and have a taste of the potion.

"Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked comes this way. Open locks, whoever knocks."

Cassandra turned around, dropping the ladle of to the potion in the process. Her eyes were wide with fear that the potions teacher had come in and caught her snooping around but when she saw who it was, she sighed. Liam was just entering the classroom a grin on his face as he walked over to her as he tossed his bookbag onto a random desk. "How now you secret, black and midnight witch, what's it you do?"

"A deed without a name." Cassandra returned Liam's smile as she walked over to him and gave him a hug. She sighed before pulling back, returning his grin with a smile. "So how are you holding up at Hogwarts?"

"Eh, so, so," said Liam, taking a seat ontop of one of the desks, "It's only been a couple of days. We'll adjust in no time. What about you? How's the Hufflepuff house and hanging out with the Loser's Club? Did you do anything fun over the weekend?"

"Picturesque." Taking a seat next to Liam, Cassandra sighed as she leaned back against his back. Her gaze was still on the potion in the front of the class though. "The Hufflepuffs are nice. Lorcan's funny. Nathan's not only Head Boy but he's also the Quidditch captain. Says that if I want, I should try out to be a chaser since they have an open spot. As if I'd try out for Quidditch. You and I both know that out of everyone in our little group, Sang Min and Gregory are the Quidditch players and that the both of us can't even keep our brooms going straight. I also think that Rose's brother is in Hufflepuff. Haven't met him yet."

Liam laughed a bit, giving Cassandra a nervous chuckle. "That's actually kinda funny that you mentioned Quidditch."

A pause. Cassandra arched an eyebrow. "How's it funny?"

Before Liam could answer the door to the Potion's classroom opened. Students were filing into the class, almost all of them holding a copy of what looked like a newspaper in their hands. Immediately, Cassandra got off the table, pulling the strap of her bookbag up as she did.

The first issue of Hogwash and Hoodlums for the year had just been published and everyone was reading it. Cassandra didn't care too much for the newspaper though. Her eyes glazed over the paper and was counting the number of students that entered. There weren't many Hufflepuff students. In fact, from the looks of it, she was the only one in the class it seems. Seven Ravenclaws. Five Slytherins. But amongst those Ravenclaws and Slytherins, none of them were Albus and Scorpius. One of the Slytherins was DeeDee though, who gave Cassandra a sickening grin before sitting with the rest of her housemates.

Two Gryffindors entered the room. Neither of them was Rose, Cassandra noted and found it odd. From talking to some of her housemates, Cassandra found out that Rose was one of the brightest witches in her year. She didn't have time to ponder on the issue before the Gryffindors looked up and saw Liam.

"Hey man, didn't know that you're trying out for the Quidditch team," said one of the boys, flashing Liam a smile that revealed his braces. "Hope you're a decent Seeker because we've been having the worst of luck finding a good one since James's dad graduated from Hogwarts." the

Cassandra snorted. Liam? Try out for Quidditch? She didn't have time to turn and ask Liam if this was a joke or not when a girl with glossy brown hair and large brown eyes, heavily made with eye shadow reached over and touched Liam's hand.

"Promise me that you'll help Gryffindor break it's losing streak this year, ok, Liam?" she said, widening her eyes as she did so. "I mean, you were the former Quidditch star back at your old school, right? So please, Liam?"

Cassandra didn't know if she should gag at the girl's annoying voice or her heavy makeup or if she should laugh at the idea of Liam being a Quidditch star. The two Gryffindors must have noticed Cassandra suppressing her giggle because immediately they both turned on her.

"Why are you laughing?" demanded the boy.

"Maybe the little Hufflepuff is just jealous that we have a Quidditch star from America in our team," said the girl snidely, her hand tightening onto Liam's. "Don't worry, Liam, I have faith in you. And if you don't mind Hufflepuff, go sit somewhere else. This is a Gryffindor only section."

Cassandra's mouth opened slightly as she scoffed. She was beginning to wonder if she was a bitch magnet or something. First DeeDee, now this airhead? Was there any decent girls to talk to at Hogwarts at all? "Excuse me? I don't see a sign here saying this is your section. Also, Quidditch star from America? I'll have you know that-"

"Cassie." Liam's voice was sharp. He was looking at Cassandra with a look that said 'Please be quiet. We'll talk later.' He then turned to Audrey and smiled, patting the other girl's hand, "I know that you have faith in me Audrey." At his touch, Audrey smiled and giggled inanely while Cassandra made a face when no one was looking. Liam then slipped his hands away from Audrey and waved a hand in Cassandra's direction. "By the way, I should introduce you guys. Cassandra, this is Audrey and Kyle. Audrey is a friend and Kyle is the Keeper for the Gryffindor team. Kyle, Audrey, this is Cassandra a friend of mine from America."

Of course, Cassandra had planned to be civil with Kyle and Audrey. The both of them were looking at her, Kyle with a cool dislike while Audrey was looking at Cassandra like she was a threat. The girl snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "If she's from America why wasn't she mentioned in the newspaper?"

At the mention of the newspaper, Cassandra frowned. "Excuse me?"

"The newspaper, Hufflepuff. See?" Waving a copy of Hogwash in front of Cassandra, Audrey even took the liberty of pointing out the article titled "Coming from Overseas". She smirked as she watched Cassandra read the article. "You're not in it."

She was right.

Cassandra first furrowed her eyebrows as she skimmed the article the first time. The second time made her frown as she glance at Liam. The entire article was about him, his likes, dislikes, what it was like for him to transfer from Toadstool to Hogwarts, what he missed about Toadstool and what he doesn't miss. There was even a section that stated that he was single – a section which made Cassandra glance at Audrey. She always knew that Liam was a flirt, but she never questioned his taste in girls. Not until now that is.

Even though Cassandra really could have cared less about being in the news article, she felt a pang of annoyance. Her hand curled into a fist, crushing the paper.

"So, Liam," she said looking at the boy, "Exactly why am I, your best friend, completely excluded from this news article, again?"

Liam looked confused as he reached over to the newspaper and skimmed it. His confusion became a look of perplexion as he looked back at Cassandra. "I swear, I mentioned you several times in the interview, Cassie."

Cassandra didn't know what to believe but was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if it wasn't for Audrey putting her mouth where it doesn't belong. "Or maybe you're just too insignificant to be in the newspaper. I mean, you are a Hufflepuff after all, are you a doffer, Cassandra?"

That did it.

Snatching the newspaper from Liam's hand, Cassandra was about to crumple it up and throw it at the girl before giving her a piece of her mind. Before she could even crumple the paper though, a hand reached out and took the newspaper away.

"Give it back!" said Cassandra, turning around, ready to snatch the newspaper back. But when Cassandra saw that it was Albus, she paused and lowered her hand. "Oh, uhm, sorry Albus... didn't know it was you."

How embarrassing.

Albus looked startled by Cassandra's outburst, his hazel eyes widened ever so slightly before they softened and looked at her skeptically. He placed the newspaper down on the table before glancing at the Gryffindors, a frown forming at the corner of his lips as he gave them a polite nod.

"Kyle, Audrey," he greeted. The Quidditch Keeper and the fangirl only returned the nod with a polite stiff one of their own. Kyle had sneered and Cassandra could have sworn she heard him say "traitor" under his breath. Albus didn't seem to care or notice though before he looked at Liam. He then did something that surprised everyone. He placed his hand out for Liam to shake. "We haven't formally met yet. I'm Albus. You're Cassandra's friend from America, right?"

Kyle and Audrey looked at Liam then at Albus. It was obvious that they were keeping a polite silence because even though Albus was a Slytherin, he was still a Potter. Liam on the other hand was looking at Albus with a mild sort of curiosity. If he had a lollipop, Cassandra was willing to be he would be twirling in his mouth right now, something he usually does when he's contemplating.

Then, just as Albus was about to lower his hand, Liam reached out and took it.

"Liam, and I am Cassie's friend from America. Your brother mentioned you a couple of times, the way."

"I'm sure he did," said Albus. There was an undercurrent of sarcasm in his voice before he looked at Cassandra. His looks softened as he nodded to the back of the room. "Come on. There's only supposed to be two to a table but I'm pretty sure Professor Slughorn wouldn't mind if you, Scorpius and me share a table."

"Go back to the Losers Club, Hufflepuff," said Kyle from the table he and Audrey were sitting at.

"Then again, isn't Hufflepuff technically the loser house?" added Audrey.

Cassandra scowled at Kyle and Audrey. It was difficult to decide who was worse, James and his group or these two prats. As Cassandra turned around to see where Albus and Scorpius decided to sit, she saw DeeDee at the corner of her eye. The other girl was smiling at her. It was a tight lipped smile before she shook her head. Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows, unsure exactly what it was DeeDee was trying to say. So she chose to ignore it and looked to the back of the room.

Scorpius was standing near the table at the back. He waved for her and Albus to head back to the table. Cassandra was about to follow Albus but she stopped herself.

"Sorry Al, but I'm staying right here." To prove her point, Cassandra started unpacking her bags and turned to face the front of the room. "I have some things I want to discuss with Liam here," she glanced at Liam who arched an eyebrow, "I'll catch up with you and Scorpius after class, mmkay?"

Immediately Kyle and Aubrey opened their mouth to protest but Liam stopped them before they could. Albus looked surprised.

"Are you sure? I mean, sure it'll be a bit cramped but-"

"I'm fine, really. And besides, I haven't really had a chance to play catch up with Liam."

When he heard the definite tone in her voice, Albus nodded. "Alright then," he said as he gave Kyle and Audrey a wary glance. "But if there's trouble..."

"There won't be any trouble," said Liam, grinning as he nodded at Albus, "Trust me."

Trusting Liam seemed like the last thing Albus wanted to do but he gave Liam a quick smile before he turned around and walked to the back of the class where Scorpius was standing, arching an eyebrow and no doubt demanding answers.

The fact that Cassandra didn't leave with Albus, that didn't' seem to sit well with Audrey who had been vying for a chance to sit with Liam during class.

Catching the other girl's sour face, Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Did moving to England make your taste in girls spiral downwards into oblivion?" she asked snidely.

Liam's lips tightened as he sighed. "If this is about the newspaper interview, James didn't want you in it. And I swear, I did mention you in it. Many times, to be correct. I don't know why or how your name magically disappeared from the news article, but believe it, it's not my fault."

"This isn't about some petty news article," said Cassandra, wanting to keep the argument going. But diffused when she realized that if Liam said it wasn't his fault, it probably wasn't. Taking a deep breath, Cassandra sighed. "So I'm guessing you're enjoying all the attention you're getting, hm?"

Liam shrugged before glancing at the clock.

Five minutes until class started.

"Pretty much. I mean, who wouldn't?" Liam leaned back and stared at the ceiling before he turned to Cassandra. "I read the letter by the way. We need to find a private place to talk without any chance of someone listening in."

"What did the letter say?"

Liam frowned before he shrugged. Cassandra wanted to press the matter further, to at least get him to drop hints about it but right as she was about to ask, the door opened and a jovial man with a mustache that made him look like an oversized walrus walked in.

"Welcome everyone and congratulations to all of you who decided to continue and have made it into the advance NEWT level course for potions. And for those who don't know me," At that the Professor winked at Liam and Cassandra, "I am Professor Horace Slughorn." Immediately after his introduction, Professor Slughorn waved at the simmering cauldrons in the class with an over exaggerated flourish. "As you all know, potions is a delicate art that requires the utmost care and attention. One wrong stir, one wrong ingredient can leave for a devastating effect. Which is why you are here in calss to learn how to brew these potions correctly. Potions such as Veritaserum, the truth potion."

He waved his wand at the cauldron that contained the clear liquid, causing the brew to spiral upwards and back into the cauldron. All of a sudden Cassandra was glad that she didn't decide to taste it after all. "If brewed incorrectly can force the drinker to go mad, the ghosts of his past tearing at his mind with all the lies he had ever told. Then there is Amorentia."

Another wave of his wand, this time the cauldron with the distinct smell spiraled. "Filled with obsession and lust. Incorrectly brewed and it can easily turn into a potion of hate. And finally, the Polyjuice Potion, a devilishly tricky potion to make. Unless you want to be permanently disfigured, I suggest you brew this one correctly."

Cassandra's eyes went to the golden liquid at the front of the class. Professor Slughorn still hadn't mentioned that potion. Yet, no one ch Instead, they all looked eager and ready for something. Some of them holding onto their silver potion knives and others ready to bolt towards the ingredients cabinet. Never had Cassandra seen a class so eager to start brewing potions.

"So for our first lesson today, as per tradition, each of you will be brewing one of these three lovely potions I have just mentioned. You will be pairing up into groups of two. At the end of the year, you will be required to brew that same potion again by yourself. The pair that makes their potion as accurately as possible will receive a vial of liquid luck, each."

So that's what's in the cauldron.

Cassandra and Liam glanced at each other. There was no need for them to even discuss the matter at hand. Even though Potions wasn't their strong suit, if they worked together then there is a chance they could win. Because heaven knows, they need all the luck they can get.

"Also, I might add before all of you pair up, the Headmistress has decided that after enough is enough. The staff are now required to step in and end this house war once and for all." A wave of groans swept through out the classroom. Professor Slughorn tsked as he folded his arms across his chest. "This is exactly the reason why the staff has decided to do this. Now, I know some of the teachers have done this already but for those of you who don't know the drill, please partner up with a student who isn't in your house."

No one moved. They all remained in their seats with the rest of their house until DeeDee slammed her textbook shut. "What's it matter anyways who you work with? We all know that Albus and Scorpius are going to win the bottle of Felix anyways."

That seemed to do the trick.

As if agreeing to her statement, the students began to stand up and shuffle about the classroom. Only Cassandra and Liam didn't move from their work station and neither did Albus and Scorpius. Professor Slughorn must have noticed because he smiled at the four of them.

"I know that all of you are in separate houses already but the four of you are going to need to find new partners. Mr. Liang, Miss. Jenkees, the both of you transferred from America and are friend. Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, the both of you have been partners since your second year. Perhaps it'd be best if-"

"We get it, Professor," said Albus as he stood up and gathered his books and ingredients. "Cassandra, do you mind working with me?"

Cassandra turned around and looked at Albus. Even though they were friends, she was a little surprised that he had asked her to be his partner. Liam was looking at Albus also before he looked up at Cassandra. Slowly he nodded as if to tell her to accept his offer before he turned to Scorpius. "Hey, let's call a truce and be partners, ok?"

Scorpius was completely taken aback by Liam's offer. So taken aback, he narrowed his eyes, wondering if this was some sort of trick or prank. It wasn't until Albus kicked him lightly and whispered something into Scorpius's ear did Scorpius nod. "Alright then, you can come back here."

The entire class was looking at Liam and Scorpius, everyone was shocked and awed. Even though there was a tense sort of silence in the classroom after Professor Slughorn forced everyone to divide into partners outside their houses, the silence became even more deafening now as Albus walked to the front of the classroom and Liam jauntily made his way to the back.

It was DeeDee who broke the silence.

"A Gryffindor wanting to partner up with Malfoy and doing so willingly?" She said grinning wickedly, "Let me correct that, a Gryffindor who wants to be in James's little inner circle, wanting to pair up with Malfoy. I wonder what Potter will have to say about this."

Liam rolled his eyes at DeeDee's comment. "He'll say nothing because it's not as if I had a choice in the matter. I don't think you're very observant, your highness," the sarcasm in his voice was obvious as Liam turned to DeeDee, "But Malfoy doesn't have a partner and Cassandra is now partnered up with Albus. So I'm stuck being his partner against my will."

Immediately Audrey left the Ravenclaw boy she was standing with and walked over to Liam, "You can be Mike's partner," she said, "I don't-" She looked over at Scorpius who was scowling at the commotion this caused. "I don't mind-"

"It's fine," said Liam thickly, not looking at the other girl once. He turned to Cassandra and nodded, "I'm fine. Let's just get this class started and over with already."

Cassandra watched as Liam took a seat next to Scorpius, the both of them trying to put as much distance between each other as possible. There was a firmness in Liam's voice that made Cassandra suspicious. He had a plan up his sleeve. There was a reason why he was willing to be Scorpius's partner, and from the looks of things it wasn't because he wanted to call a truce. There also had to be a reason why Scorpius agreed to be Liam's partner also.

Once everyone had settled down, Professor Slughorn waved his hand towards the first cauldron. "And the potion all of you will be making today is Veritaserum. Don't worry about making it perfect since none of you are expected to make this correctly and perfectly until the end of the year. Your time starts, now."

"Get the two moonstones and start crushing them into a powder," said Albus immediately after Slughorn announced that they were starting. He had his wand out and was lighting the fire beneath the cauldron.

Following his order, Cassandra opened the potions kit and withdrew two stones. She blinked a few times, wondering exactly how she was suppose to crush rock into a powder without destroying the tools. Albust must have noticed her dilemma because he laughed a bit before reaching for a small hammer. "Use this."

He reached out and placed the hammer in her hand.

"Thanks," said Cassandra as she tapped at the moonstone, watching it break into several smaller pieces. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Albus adding water into the cauldron before he started to mince an odd looking root. He was doing all this without looking at the book once. "How do you know what you're doing?"

Albus shrugged before he turned at her smiled. "I memorized the directions. Scorpius and I hung out a lot in the potions room last year and learned how to make some of the potions on our own. Well, more like I learned how to make some of the potions on my own, Scorpius just read books. You should get the club and mortar and start grinding it. We're adding the moonstone in a bit after the unicorn hair."

"So is that why DeeDee said there's no point in this competition?" said Cassandra.

As he watched the water simmer and turn into a magnificent blue when he added the root, Albus frowned. "I guess so. Then again, I love potions. I'm the only one in my family that is even remotely good at it. I want to be a Potioneer when I grow up. Because of that everyone says that it's further proof that I'm suppose to be in Slytherin. Only my dad says it's all right, that my middle name gave me good luck in Potions. Psh, who wants to be named after the worst Headmaster at Hogwarts ever? I wonder how my mum even agreed to let me be named after that man."

"You want to invent potions?" Cassandra continued to grind the moonstone and watched as it became a beautiful sparkling powder. "That sounds rather interesting." When Albus mentioned that he was named after the worst Headmaster at Hogwarts and that he was miserable in Slytherin, Cassandra paused. "Well, if it helps, I think that you should be in Ravenclaw."

Albus grinned as he stirred the potion while adding some of the unicorn hair. "Ravenclaw, really? Why's that?"

"Because obviously you're smart if you can invent new potions." Once the moonstone was completely ground up, Cassandra waited for Albus to tell her when to add it to the potion. "And also because, well, Scorpius is in it. That way the both of you would have someone to talk too. It sucks being by yourself in the common room with no one to talk too."

Silence.

There was a soft sort of sad look in Albus's eyes as he reached over to take the moonstone powder and pour it into the potion. Cassandra tilted her head to the side and blinked once. "What? Would you rather be put in the doffer house?"

"Anything is better than Slytherin," said Albus sighing through his nose. He didn't look at Cassandra as he continued stirring the cauldron. "Remember back on the Hogwarts Express when I told you I didn't want you in Slytherin because it's for your own good?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yea, and?"

"I lied." After he said that, Albus pushed some wrinkled dried beans over to Cassandra along with a silver knife. "Crush it with the flat end to get the most juice out of it. Just one or two to add for potency."

Taking the knife and beans, Cassandra arched an eyebrow at Albus. "You lied?"

"I kinda did want you to be sorted into Slytherin." Swallowing hard Albus turned and looked at Cassandra with a half smile, "And I would have been jealous if you got into Ravenclaw. I know Scorpius was disappointed when the hat called out Hufflepuff, he was pretty certain that you'd get into Ravenclaw. And I was happy that you're got sorted into a house that's trying its best to stay out of this house war but..."

"It gets lonely when you have no one to talk too," said Cassandra repeating what she had said earlier. "Guess I should count myself lucky then."

"Does that mean you're not going to want a bottle of liquid luck then?" said Albus jokingly.

Sticking her tongue out at him, Cassandra rolled her eyes as she collected the juice from the beans into a bowl. "Of course I want it."

At the mention of the bottle of liquid luck, Cassandra was reminded that Liam was working with Scorpius in the back of the class. She turned around and delighted to see that the both of them haven't killed each other yet. Liam was reading the directions from the book while Scorpius was working quickly to make the actual potion. That was when it hit her.

"Albus, you wanted me to be your partner because..."

"Because if I partner up with Liam and win, that means he gets to have a vial of Felix."

Cassandra nodded. So the reason why Liam didn't' mind partnering up with Scorpius was because he didn't want to take his chances. DeeDee didn't say that Albus was the potions whiz and it could easily have been Scorpius. So he partnered up with Scorpius just in case.

"Smart move," said Cassandra as she watched Albus lower the temperature of the fire so that the potion would simply sit and simmer. Looking at the potion, Cassandra saw that it had a smoky look to it, nothing like the clear potion in the other cauldron. "You sure this right?"

"Give it a few minutes," said Albus, "Trust me."

There was fifteen minutes left of class and Cassandra stood by the table looking around at the rest of the students. Since she couldn't see how Scorpius and Liam were doing, she couldn't judge how well their potion was doing. She could say for certain that out of everyone, DeeDee and her partner, a Ravenclaw girl, were the only ones with a potion that wasn't some odd color or emitting sparks. In fact, it was an extremely light blue and as the other girl stirred the potion, it was getting more and more transparent.

It was as if DeeDee sensed that Cassandra was watching her because she paused in her stirring and gave her partner the ladle. She glanced up at the front of the room to see Slughorn observing the potion Kyle was making, which was thick and gooey resembling boogers, before walking over to Cassandra and Albus.

Immediately Cassandra tensed and reached over, touching Albus lightly on the arm. He turned and when he saw DeeDee, frowned. "What do you want, Flint?"

"Relax, Potter," said DeeDee with an edge in her voice. She then looked at Cassandra and smiled. "Saw what you did back there with the Gryffindors. I'm kinda impressed. Thought that you were a snot nosed little brat back on the Hogwarts Expressed. Seems like you proved me wrong."

Cassandra only grimanced. That didn't' seem to faze DeeDee though.

"Anyways, I also heard what they said about Hufflepuff. I know firsthand what it's like to have your house trashed by some egocentric idiots just because they can brag about having more war heroes than any other house. It sucks, doesn't it?"

Reluctantly, Cassandra nodded. Albus placed a hand on her shoulder which she shrugged off.

"Get to the point, Flint."

DeeDee smirked as she placed a hand to her hip. "There's no point, Jenkees. Just wanted to say that I was impressed is all." Her eyes then flickered to Albus with a hint of distaste. "Actually, there is a point. Why don't you ditch the losers club and actually make some real friends. It's a house war and you're going to need as many allies as you can get. Those two aren't going to be able to give any protection against Gryffindor. As you can tell, the Gryffindors are beginning to attack Hufflepuff also. Nathan isn't going to do anything about it because he doesn't want the lot of you joining the war." She then placed her hand out for Cassandra to shake. "But if we become friends, out houses become allies. The only condition is that you ditch the losers club because Ally-Al here and Malfoy back there? They're traitors. Come on, Cassies, think of what's best for your house."

Looking at DeeDee's hand, Cassandra looked at the other girl in the eyes. DeeDee was a politician. She was a smooth talker and who knows what to say and how to say it. She was also a fighter, someone who doesn't take being pushed to the ground lightly. In some ways Cassandra found it admirable. But in most ways, it was disgusting.

"Keep the offer," said Cassandra. She took a step back and looped her arm through Albus's. "My friends are here."

DeeDee looked completely shocked. She placed her hand down and sneered. "You really would rather keep friends with the traitors than make an alliance for your house?"

"Yes," said Cassandra, "And besides, if Hufflepuff doesn't want any part of the house war, I'm not going to sign a contract pushing them into it. I'm just the new kid. If you want to make war treaties, I suggest that you talk to Nathan. Then again, maybe the reason why you're talking to me is because you already did and he denied the offer before also."

DeeDee's frowned. She looked at Cassandra and Albus before her eyes fell onto their arms as Albus stepped closer to Cassandra.

"Fine," she said, "But if Gryffindor continues to attack Hufflepuff don't expect Slytherin to come to the rescue."

"I'll keep that in mind."

As DeeDee turned to walk back to her table, Cassandra sighed before slipping her arm from Albus's. She walked over to their cauldron and looked at, pretending to keep herself occupied by watching the potion become clearer and clearer.

She was frustrated.

She had thought that infiltrating Hogwarts would be as easy as Toadstool. That all she had to do was keep her nose down, make a few friends to avoid looking suspicious and that all she would have to worry about was how to complete her assignments and destroy Hogwarts.

But no.

Here she had to worry about house wars, politics and all sort of underhanded deception she never liked being a part of.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Cassandra gasped and turned around. She sighed again and slapped Albus lightly on the shoulder, rolling her eyes. "You really need to stop sneaking up on me."

"You look tired," stated Albus simply.

"Just trying to understand how this place can be so insane."

Albus would have smiled but then Professor Slughorn was already standing at the front of the room, tapping his wand on the desk to get everyone's attention.

"The hour and a half is up," he announced, "Everyone please stop what you are doing. Put everything down and I will be going around to look at each of the potions individually."

As Slughorn made his way around the classroom, he barely lingered at the students who had a complete mess inside their cauldron. He only wrinkled his nose, causing his mustache to bristle. When he got to the back where Scorpius and Liam were, he only nodded and commented on how it looked quite decent. Decent didn't seem like it was going to cut it though because Slughorn turned around and continued observing.

When he got to Cassandra and Albus's cauldron, he grinned.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, you never fail to disappoint me," he said giving the potion a couple of stirs. "Given another half hour and this would have been perfect."

Albus grinned, "It was a team effort, sir."

"Of course it was," said Slughorn looking over at Cassandra with a twinkle in his eye that reminded Cassandra of a dragon that hoarded gold. "I heard a lot about you Miss Cassandra and of Mr. Liang also. I already asked Mr. Liang if he wanted to stay after and have a nice chat with me and I was wondering if you-"

"Please Mr. Slughorn," said Albus with a sigh, "Can you not try and collect her into you club?"

"Well, it's her decision of course. Just like it was yours to decline," said Professor Slughorn before he turned back to Cassandra, "Of course, if you're interested. You can stop by my office anytime."

Giving her a wink, Slughorn turned and walked over to the table where DeeDee and her partner was. Albus and Cassandra glanced at each other and laughed silently, the both of them amused by the Professor's offer. Once Professor Slughorn was finished observing the potions, he turned and walked back to the front of the room. Pulling out two small glass vials, he carefully poured the golden potion into each vial and placed a stopper on them.

He cleared his throat and turned around.

"After observing the potions, I have came to the conclusion that the students who deserve these vials of liquid luck are-"

"Enough with the theatrics, please, Professor," said DeeDee, her arms folded across her chest. "Just give it to Albus already so we can all leave."

Professor Slughorn smiled. It was a smile Cassandra didn't like. He was looking straight at DeeDee before he placed his hand out, the two vials resting on his palm. "On the contrary, Miss Flint, you and your partner made the best truth serum out of all your peers."

There was a round of applause from the Slytherins and Ravencalw as DeeDee and her partner walked up to claim their prize. Cassandra felt her heart sink to her stomach when the other girl wrapped her fingers around the vial of Felix. Great. Just great. Of all people to win the bottle of luck, it had to be the Slytherin Princess.

No one looked more shocked than Albus. Professor Slughorn must have seen it also because he smiled sadly and shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Potter, but she is the winner. Her potion was finished while yours still had a few more minutes to go before it matures. So, congratulations to our winners and I'll see all of you again next week for class. I also want a two foot long essay on the effects of Veritaserum, its history and critical analysis of it."

As the students filed out of class, Cassandra glared at DeeDee and saw the other girl tucking the vial of Felix into her robe pocket. She wanted to strangle the other girl even though Cassandra knew that DeeDee had won it fair and square. It just didn't seem fair that she won it when Albus was the one who deserved the win.

"She just got lucky," said Cassandra, hoping to cheer Albus up as they quickly packed up.

"That or she's been practicing," he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"She got lucky," said Cassandra firmly before she turned and saw Scorpius and Liam walking up to them. She smiled at the two boys before she glanced over at Liam. Immediately a plan formed in her mind. "Liam, you want to stay after and talk to Professor Slughorn about his club? I'm kinda interested."

"The Slug Club?" said Scorpius, he looked at Cassandra as if he couldn't believe she actually said that she was interested in it. "Cassandra, the Slug Club really doesn't fit you."

"If she wants to stay and find out about it, she can," said Albus. He looked at Cassandra and nodded. "Scorpius and I will be at the library when you're done."

After waving goodbye to the both of them, Cassandra turned to Liam. She would have asked how it was working with Scorpius but there was no time for that. "Mind distracting Slughorn for me? And make sure that he keeps his back to me when I go the front of the class," she asked in a low whisper while Professor Slughorn went around the classroom to vanish the leftover potions in the cauldron.

Liam glanced over at the Professor before he grinned. "Not a problem. Professor Slughorn!"

Professor Slughorn looked up and grinned at Cassandra and Liam. He lowered his wand, "Well, it seems as of the both of you are interested in joining my club after all."

"More or less, sir," said Liam as he reached into his bag and pulled out a lollipop and offered it to Slughorn, "Care for a lollipop, sir?" When Slughorn took the lollipop, Liam grinned and pulled out another sweet from his backpack and unwrapped it. "Anyways, Cassandra and I were wondering exactly what goes on in that club, sir."

Waving his hand at the both of them, Slughorn shook his head. "No need to call me sir, that goes for the both of you. Just calling me Professor is enough. Now as for my little club, it's an exclusive club. Only for the best young witches and wizards. Now, Mr. Liang-"

"Please, Liam," said Liam before he nodded at Cassandra, "And I'm pretty sure Cassandra wouldn't' mind being called by her first name, right?"

When Slughorn saw Cassandra nod, he beamed. "Alright then, Liam, Cassandra. I read in the news article this morning that Liam, you're a Quidditch star in your old school at Toadstool correct? Planning on going professional?"

Liam grinned. "Possibly."

Cassandra snorted at that while Slughorn gold hoarding dragon gaze continued to shine. "And Miss Jenkees, I hear that you're wonderful at Transfiguration and that your Uncle is a well respected man in Wizarding American Government. That's the reason why he's working for the Department of International Affairs here in the Ministry."

"Pretty much," Cassandra glanced at Liam and nodded.

Taking her cue, Liam walked over to Professor Slughorn. "Professor, before we continue talking about your club, I was wondering if you can help me with something here. I've never really been good at Potions and I was wondering if-"

"I offer tutoring?"

"More like if you have any books I can read up. I know I can look in the library, but I wouldn't know where to start."

Professor Slughorn gave Liam a knowing look as he nodded and turned around. "I believe I have several books in my office. Mr. Liang, if you'll follow me. Miss Jenkees? You don't mind-"

"Not at all, sir," said Cassandra as she watched Liam follow Slughorn to the room in the back.

Once the both of them disappeared behind the door, Cassandra wasted no time. There was no telling when Slughorn would find the book and gave it to Liam or how long Liam can stall. Hopefully the professor's office was a mess and it would take him several minutes to find the potions book.

Grabbing several small vials from her potions kit along with a handful of stoppers, Cassandra quickly walked over to the cauldron of liquid luck. She watched as the potion splashed about merrily before picking up the ladle. She filled up four small vials of the potion and tucked them into her bag. Two were going to be for her and Liam and two she was going to give to Albus and Scorpius. She then hurried over to the other potions in the room that Slughorn had already made.

Two vials of Veritaserum. Two vials of Polyjuice potion.

Just as she was about to fill up a second vial of Amorentia, the doorknob to Slughorn's office twitched. She dropped the ladle back the cauldron, quickly sealed her first vial and tucked all her stolen potions into her bag and hurried to a table.

The instant she sat down, Slughorn and Liam were walking out.

"Thank you so much, Professor," said Liam, carrying a giant stack of books. "I'll be sure to return these to you as soon as I'm done with them. They all sound absolutely fascinating."

"I'm glad that I could help you m'boy," said Slughorn as he looked at Cassandra. "We haven't been keeping you waiting too long, have we?"

"No, sir- I mean, Professor," said Cassandra. She gave Liam a grin before discreetly giving him a thumbs up to signal mission accomplish.

"Very well then, I suppose should continue our discussion about the both of you joining my club then shall we?"

Cassandra groaned mentally. She had been hoping that Slughorn would have forgotten about this chat and that she was included in it. But still, it was a small price to pay compared to the potions she had stolen.

Truth serum. An appearance altering potion. A love potion. And liquid luck.

Forcing a smile, Cassandra nodded.

"I guess we should, professor."

xxx

**Author's Note: **Wow. This chapter turned out completely different than I thought it would. XD I went through so many drafts of this chapter, my mind is boggled. I also don't even know what to put here. Even though I know I- Right! So, I mentioned a while back that I was working on a Scorpius/Rose story called **Change of Heart** well, guess what? 8D It's up! Just head over to my profile and take a look at it. ^o^

Also, my laptop, the one I write on, has contracted a virus which is really pissing me off. D: Hopefully I can get it fixed soon.

Any my brain is fried... x_x

Please review! I would love to know what all of you enjoyed reading about in this Chapter along with what you didn't like about and everything. You comments, reviews, critiques are very much treasured along with the feedback I get when I see people favoriting my story or putting it on the alert list.

Thank you!


	8. Ups & Downs & Upside Downs

**Witch Hunt**

**By:** xLucky-Sparks

**Chapter Eight:** Ups, Downs and Upside Downs

**Disclaimer:** Whatever belongs to JK Rowling belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me belongs to me.

**Special thanks to: anamolly2013** for your review and to **JaneDarcy** for putting this story on your alert list. 8D

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 12th ; Quidditch Pitch ; Afternoon

xxx

"I've always wondered why America never makes it to the semi-finals during the Quidditch World Cup..."

Cassandra and Scorpius winced as they watched Liam nearly crash into one of the three golden hoops at the far right end of the field. The other boy had recovered from the narrow miss but at a cost: he had completely lost track of where the enchanted golden golf ball disappeared too.

Sighing through her nose, Cassandra folded her arms across her chest as she glanced around the Quidditch pitch for the pseudo-snitch. "Because America has one of the worst national team in the entire league?" she said, trying her best to hide the nervous aggravation in her voice.

"They actually don't have one of the worst national teams in the entire league," said Albus as he turned a page in his book, not bothering to look up to see what's going on.

Scorpius scoffed. "A Quidditch team is only as good as its worst player. Limelight Liam here says he's best player at his school and he flies worse than a dragon with two crippled wings and a blind eye. If America is recruiting players like him, than it's no wonder why they can never make it to the top in the Quidditch League."

As Albus arched an eyebrow from behind his book at Scorpius, looking as if he was going to continue the petty debate, Cassandra rolled her eyes and turned back to Liam. He had found the golf ball and was chasing it again. Crossing her fingers, Cassandra watched as he reached out. His fingers were barely touching the golfball. Just a few more centimeters and-

The golf ball suddenly changed its course and dove straight to the ground.

Liam was thoroughly perplexed for a split second but soon he pointed his broom downwards and zipped after the golf ball.

"Oh don't do that," said Cassandra before she turned away and closed her eyes.

Three. Two. One.

CRASH!

Opening her eyes again, Cassandra grimaced before she turned around and looked at Liam who was a crumpled mess on the Quidditch Pitch. If he had snapped his brand new wand in two, she was going to murder him. Trying to convince her uncle to give her the money to buy a new broomstick, a Quicksilver 360 no less, was like trying to pry gold from a dragon's claws. He told her that since neither of them played Quidditch, neither of them needed a broom.

How Cassandra was able to get him to hand over the galleons, she didn't know. Oh, wait, she did. She told him that the broom was going to be hers and Liam's Christmas gift. So if he broke it, he was going to owe her big time.

"I'll be back," sighed Cassandra as she half waved at Scorpius and Albus. The three of them had been milling around on the ground level bleachers of the Quidditch pitch watching Liam practice. Hopping over the fence, Cassandra walked over to Liam as he stood up, one hand was on her hip while she watched him straighten up and check on his broom.

"You ok?" she asked, reaching over and taking the broom from Liam so he could inspect himself.

"Fine." His tone was surly as Liam opened his hand to reveal the golf ball in his hand. The little thing shivered a bit before it zoomed off again into the air. As the both of them watched the ball run off, Liam groaned exasperatedly. "Try-outs haven't even started yet and I've already had it up to my neck with Quidditch."

He leaned against Cassandra's shoulder before hitting his head lightly against it. Pushing him away, Cassandra rolled her eyes and shoved the broom back into his hands. "That's what you get for lying," she said before pointing back up at the sky. "Come on, no breaks. Tryouts are in less than hour."

Another groan from Liam.

"You're a tyrant, Cassie," he said as he mounted his broom, "I mean, we've been practicing non-stop for a week almost now. Can't I relax before the tryouts? I mean, you know that cramming isn't going to help anyone. And-" Liam paused when he looked at the bleachers and saw Scorpius and Albus sitting in it. He frowned before turning to Cassandra sharply. "What are they doing here?"

"To laugh at how idiotic you look, Limelight Liam," said Cassandra using the nickname Scorpius and Albus gave him. "You need to learn how to fly with an audience and I'm bored of sitting here by myself watching you crash into things. I would have invited Lorcan and Nathan also, since they were the ones who helped me the most in figuring out the basics and the techniques for Quidditch but the both of them need to get ready for Hufflepuff tryouts."

Today was the big day, well Liam's big day, and the two of them were hoping to squeeze in a few extra hours of practice before the actual Quidditch tryouts. A few extra hours of undisturbed practice so that no one would know just how bad Liam really was at Quidditch.

"Yea, well," said Liam, looking over at Scorpius and Albus, "Tell them to leave. I don't want them to know that I'm not an American Quidditch star."

Cassandra snorted at this. "Right now, Scorpius is saying that Americans suck at Quidditch so you have nothing to be afraid of. Your reputation isn't ruined yet. Now get flying."

When Liam stuck his tongue out at her, Cassandra shook her head and watched as he took off into the sky again. While Liam flew laps around the field, looking for the fake snitch, Cassandra noticed that the sky was getting darker. Darker not because the sun was setting. Darker because storm clouds were gathering.

"At least he caught the golf ball when he crash landed," said Cassandra, trying to find a positive in the situation. She was going to ignore the fact that there's a chance that the golf ball might have malfunctioned and flew straight into the ground and Liam was conveniently able to pick it up.

She turned around giving the gray skies another glance before she turned around and walked back towards the bleachers. Albus was reading his book again while Scorpius was watching Liam flew around the pitch.

"He wants the both of you to leave," said Cassandra once she was within hearing distance, "Doesn't want the both of you watching."

"Do I have to leave?" asked Albus, "I'm not watching him and it's comfortable here."

Cassandra couldn't help but chuckle. The other boy had a point. Ever since he and Albus arrived at the Quidditch Pitch all Albus has done was open up a book and start reading. Only she and Scorpius were actively watching Liam make a fool of himself.

"I dunno, Albus, he said both of you."

"Well, it's not his Quidditch Pitch so we're not going," said Scorpius, his eyes tracking Liam's movements, "At least not until the Gryffindor start their tryouts. Then we'll gladly- doesn't he realize that the fake snitch is right there? Bloody hell, he's dense."

Liam had just circled around and finally saw the snitch. He sped after it at full force and Cassandra watched, holding her breath as he pushed himself to go faster.

"If he just press a little closer to the broom, he'd catch up."

The entire time Scorpius was watching Liam, he'd been critiquing the other boy's technique. From his dives, to his swerves to little notes on how he could move faster, turn smoother and dive harder, Scorpius had something to say. Cassandra turned to the other boy, her arms folded across her chest.

"You seem to know a lot about Quidditch. Why aren't you on the Ravenclaw team?"

It was like a pin dropped.

Albus glanced up from his book while Scorpius stared at Cassandra. Their eyes were impassive before Scorpius looked back up and Albus returned to his book. Sensing that she probably said the wrong thing, Cassandra's lips tightened in confusion.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's like she doesn't know us at all, right, Scorpius?" said Albus, "Care to enlighten her?"

Scorpius watched as Liam successfully caught the fake snitch and began to descend to the ground again. "The chances of the Ravenclaws letting me on the team are lower than the chances of Lord Voldemort coming back to life. The Ravenclaws aren't going to want the reputation of being friends with the son of a former Death Eater and letting him join the team."

Right, she had forgotten that.

"That's too bad you'd probably be good at it."

Scorpius snorted and shook his head. "Even if I was it wouldn't matter. I don't love Quidditch enough to make it my life, not like Albus's brother and his friend Jordan."

"So what do you want to do for your future?" Cassandra had to admit, she was curious. Albus wanted to be a potioneer, which was shocking in a way, so what would Scorpius want to be?

Scorpius smirked once Liam touched the ground. He looked at Cassandra and shrugged. "Why don't you guess, Cassandra?"

It was Cassandra's turn to snort now. She turned and watched Liam walk towards them. There were many games Cassandra hated playing and guessing games were one of them. Still, she decided to humor Scorpius. "You're in all of my classes. So you've decided not take any soft options like Divinitation or Muggle Studies. People who take the classes you're taking usually are hoping to get into a high position in the government or working as a Healer. You don't seem like someone who wants to work in a hospital though, do you?"

The only reply she got was a grin before Liam arrived. His grip on his broom tightened when he saw that Scorpius and Albus were still in the bleachers. Scorpius's eyes grew cold as he folded his arms across his chest. Albus didn't seem to notice that Liam had arrived, if he did he didn't show it.

Even though he gave Cassandra a sharp glance, Liam smiled when he looked at Scorpius.

"Scorpius! How are you doing? Enjoying the gray weather outside, or are you planning on trying out for Quidditch? Because if you're not planning on trying out, can you leave please?"

Liam's tone sounded easygoing and friendly at first glance but at the second, it was obvious he was annoyed. At Liam's suggestion, Scorpius frowned. "What's wrong if we just want to relax outside for a bit?"

"What's wrong is that you're spying on Gryffindor tryouts, Malfoy, so sod off and go inside."

The four of them turned to see several red clad Gryffindor students walk onto the Quidditch pitch, some of them wearing their Quidditch robes while others were in old robes. All of them were hold their brooms and were huddled together. Some of the new-hopefuls were looking up at the gray weather with apprehension, all of them hoping they wouldn't have to try-out in the middle of a storm. Among the group Cassandra recognized James at the front of the crowd. He didn't look too happy at them and it was obvious in the vibes he was giving off. Zachary was behind him, broom swung over the shoulder. Cassandra also recognized Kyle, frowning instantly when she saw the other boy. There was also a girl with red hair who smiled at Liam. He returned the smile and that made Cassandra want to roll her eyes.

"Flirt," she muttered under her breath before picking up her bookbag and turning to Scorpius and Albus she nodded towards the exit. "Come on, I don't want to sit and listen to any arguments or start a fight so let's go."

Just as she was about to leave, Liam reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Stay."

His grip on her wrist was a silent plea for her to stay for moral support.

When James arrived at the bleachers, he briefly gave Liam a friendly smile. His gaze then went from Albus, who had closed his book and was refusing to look at his brother, to Scorpius, who narrowed his eyes but didn't do anything else, then to Cassandra. His lips twisted into a frown at her, a frown that Cassandra gladly returned.

She had managed to successfully avoid a confrontation or even a conversation with James for two weeks. Two weeks and still the sight of him in front of her made her want to slap him. It was fine for her to watch his ego get stroked and his head swell with undeserved pride from across the room in the Great Hall or on the rare occasions when they see each other in the halls. But here in the Quidditch Pitch, it was different.

Here, she had to talk to him if she was going to stay.

"Get out of here," said James. Even though the comment was directed to her, Scorpius and Albus, James was looking right at Cassandra. "Tryouts are for Gryffindors only. We don't want any other houses spying on us and spilling our secrets to their teams."

"Stuff it Potter." Scorpius walked down from his seat on the bleachers and stood next to Cassandra. His arms were no longer across his chest. Instead, one hand was stuffed into his pocket. "What's it matter to you if we stay and watch anyways? Your mate Creevy is just going to publish everything in that rubbish of a newspaper the lot of you are obsessed over."

James's glare went from Cassandra to Scorpius. His eyes narrowed as he tilted his broom so that it was pointing at Scorpius. "You either get out of here, ferret-face Malfoy, or I'll hex you out. And you know I will, so don't waste your breath arguing with me."

It looked like Scorpius was about to take on James's challenge. His wand was drawn faster than Cassandra could blink and it was pointed at James. She was about to reach out and push the wand down, telling Scorpius that James wasn't worth the fight but Albus beat her to it. The younger Potter had placed a hand on Scorpius's shoulder before he grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him towards the exit.

"Come on Scorpius," said Albus, giving another hard tug. "Let's just go. He's not worth being put into detention for."

"Yea, listen to him, Malfoy." James smirked. While Scorpius put his wand away, the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and their hopefuls snickered.

Scorpius threw them a dirty look before he pulled his arm from Albus. He turned to Cassandra and looked at Liam's grip on her wrist. "You coming with us or staying with them, Jenkees?"

Even though she would have much rather follow Albus and Scorpius off the field, Cassandra shook her head. Before she could say anything though, James reached out and pulled her wrist from Liam then pushed her towards Scorpius.

"Of course, she's going, Malfoy," he said, "Now move."

"No, she's staying." Liam reached out and pulled Cassandra back. "Please, James? She's been my lucky charm for every try-out and every game, let her stay. She's going to behave, right Cassandra?"

Rubbing her arm where James had pushed her, Cassandra shot the other boy a glare before she swallowed and nodded. "Yea, I'll behave," she said before turning to Scorpius and Albus. Another apologetic smile which Scorpius returned with a scowl. "Sorry guys but I can't just leave Liam."

Scorpius's scowl deepened before he turned around. "Fine. See you later, Jenkees."

As Scorpius stormed off, Cassandra stared at his retreating back open mouthed before she looked at Albus. He was looking exasperated. After giving her a smile Cassandra saw Albus mouth the words "Don't worry" to her before he turned and jogged after Scorpius.

Once Scorpius and Albus were out of the pitch Cassandra turned back to James, Liam and the rest of the Gryffindors. She was the needle in the haystack, the odd one out, the only yellow uniform in a sea of red. All of a sudden Cassandra felt just a bit nervous but hid it behind a cough.

Liam was looking relieved but James, James looked furious.

As if sensing this, Liam pushed James's shoulder lightly. "Come on, James. She said she'll behave and she won't try to sabotage us. So let her stay, please?"

James looked at Cassandra with a hard stare and Cassandra tensed herself, refusing to break down or show discomfort of being looked at like a mistreated house elf. Finally James nodded reluctantly. Without another word, he placed a silver whistle in his mouth and blew on it sharply, waving for his team members and the hopefuls to move towards the center of the field.

It was dull watching the tryouts.

Cassandra never liked Quidditch and the only time she was remote interested in the sport was when Sang Min and Gregory were playing. In America, each school had their own team and every year the teams got together to compete. Schools in the West Coast competed against each other. The East Coast. The Mountain Regions. The Southern. There were many different tournaments and eventually the best from each region got together to compete for national acclaim.

Apparently here at Hogwarts each house played against each other for house points.

Every minute that came and went, the darker and stormier the skies began to look. Several times, Cassandra had pause in her mind numbing boredom to look up to see if rain was going to come. There were still a ton of hopefuls, trying out for the open Chaser position. James was conducting that, having each of the chasers work with him and the redhead girl, a Potter also apparently, to score against their keeper, the jerkwad Kyle. Liam was doing laps around the field with the rest of the seeker hopefuls, a grand total of sixteen of them, and was doing decently in the center of the pack. The two beaters, Zachary and Tiffany, were zooming about, trying to knock the chasers off their brooms while also aiming at the hopeful seekers.

"At least he didn't' fall off his broom yet. Or get hit by a flying cannonball," muttered Cassandra as she leaned back against the bleachers. "Dammit, maybe I should have followed Scorpius and Albus. The three of us could totally be having a cup of hot chocolate right now."

"Mind if I join you?"

Just as she was about to close her eyes and doze off, Cassandra pulled herself awake and looked up to see one of James's friend standing next to her. It was the boy with the quill, which was tucked behind his hear. Only this time, the boy had no paper. Instead, he had a camera hanging around his neck and was holding it.

She wanted to be rude to the boy but bit her tongue. This was the boy who was in charge of the newspaper that completely omitted her from a story, she really didn't want to be nice to him. It was as if he knew this because the boy placed his hand up and smiled. "It's only a few minutes alright? I just want to tell you something."

Slowly Cassandra nodded her head.

Taking this as his cue, the boy leaned against the bleacher fence and looked at her. "The name's Nicholas by the way, but just call me Nick for short."

"I know who you are," said Cassandra. It was half the truth, she did know him, she just didn't know his name. "What do you want?"

Nicholas made a tsking sound before he shook his head. He aimed his camera at the Quidditch Tryouts. "To talk, that's all. Liam told me that you were upset about not being mentioned in the newspaper. I came here to apologize. Don't blame it on Liam because he did mention you a couple of times, though you can blame him for not inviting you to the interview. I did say I would rather have both of you there."

Another set of pictures were taken.

"As for how your name magically disappeared from the newspaper, I'm pretty sure James did it. For some reason, well it's just some reason, he hates you. It's a good thing you're in Hufflepuff because if you weren't, he would have tormented you already."

Cassandra arched an eyebrow. "Really? And why's that?"

Nicholas lowered his camera before he turned and looked at Cassandra. Raising his camera up again, he snapped a picture of her. "That's because Hufflepuff is the only house that isn't outright in a war against Gryffindor. He doesn't want to have all of Hogwarts ganging up against Gryffindor."

As he lowered his camera again, Nicholas nodded before he waved at Cassandra. "Anyways, I'm heading to the top. Better view from there. I'll see you around then, Jenkees."

Cassandra watched as Nicholas left the bleachers.

She was confused. Nicholas was obviously a friend of James and yet in those few minutes he was talking to her and he was even telling her that James omitted her existence from the news paper. The question she wanted to ask was: why?

"Well, I'm not going to dwell on it," said Cassandra before she turned back to the Quidditch tryouts only to see Liam was starting to land. She watched as the other boy ran over to the bleachers. Immediately she got worried and stood up. "Is everything ok?"

Once Liam reached the bleachers, he grabbed onto the railing and shook his head. "I can't do this. I can't do this. I'm going to make a complete fool of my self and I can't do that."

When she realized that Liam was loosing his nerves, Cassandra reached out and shook him. "Oh no you don't, mister," she said, "You're going to turn around and you're going to try out. And you're going to make the team because if you don't I'm going to take that broom of yours and shove it somewhere you don't want to know. My ears are still sore from that howler Uncle Jenkees sent me about wasting money when we should be busy with other more important things. So make the damn team, ok?"

"No, you don't' understand Cassie," said Liam, pulling away from her. "I can't do this alone. I need the potion. Desperately. Please, Cass? You saw how bad I was. We practice everyday but admit it, one week of practice is not going turn me into a superstar. For crying out loud, I can't even dive without nearly breaking my neck!"

For a minute Cassandra didn't quite understand what Liam meant until she realized he wanted a vial of Felix Felicis. "Liam, that potion is for emergencies only and this most certainly does not constitute as an emergen-"

"You have four vials of that, Cassie. I'm pretty sure you can spare one for this. Or even just half one, just a couple hours is all I need. Would you rather have me completely humiliated and exposed as a liar? Because that can happen and I won't get an in with James and we can kiss our little plan good bye."

"Four vials? How did you-" When Cassandra told Liam about the potions, she didn't tell him how much of each she got. He must have looked through her bag some how. If she told Liam that two of the four vials were going to be for Scorpius and Albus, he was going to strangle her. So she tried a different approach. "Liam, if you take the potion and make it, what happens when an actual tournament comes up, hm? You'll be a-"

"I'll have improved by then, I promise."

Cassandra didn't' even have a say anything because Liam had already reached towards her bag. She reached forward to pull it away but Liam was faster. Taking her the vial of Felix she had decided to keep on her for an emergency, Liam uncorked the vial.

"Cheers," he said before drinking it.

Cassandra watched the thumb-sized vial became half filled before Liam returned it to her. Corking it silently and giving Liam an angry glare, Cassandra wiped the kiss he gave her on the cheek and watched as he ran back to the team with a zeal he didn't have before.

Thunder cracked as lightning streaked across the sky.

James was shouting for everyone to clear the sky and head to the ground. Even though the storm was approaching, they weren't going to cancel try outs and the seekers were up next.

At the second crack of thunder, Cassandra began to worry. She picked up her bag and hopped over the railing before jogging over to the crowd of descending Gryffindors. Those who were hoping to be seekers were still hovering in the air, Liam making figure eights and loop-de-loops with ease.

"Quit showing off," said Cassandra under breath just as James landed on the ground.

"Potter!" shouted Cassandra. Calling James by his last name sounded foreign to her and when the older boy ignored her and walked straight towards a large trunk, Cassandra frowned and walked towards him. "James, are you seriously deaf?"

It was as if he was point blank on ignoring her because he was now opening a compartment in trunk. A small walnut sized golden ball fell out. It rested on his outstretched palm for a few seconds before tiny wings bursted out from its sides. With a low hum, the ball zipped up and out of James's palm. The boy then looked up.

"Alright then seekers. The tryouts are simple. First person to catch the snitch, gets a position on the team."

Panic and confusion.

Instantly the hopefuls scattered across the Quidditch Pitch, their eyes wide searching for the snitch. Cassandra only shook her head. Because Liam took the potion, there was no need to see whether or not he was going to find the snitch first. More like than not he was.

Instead, Cassandra walked over to James who was looking up at the sky, his hand to his hips. She tapped him on the shoulder and when he didn't turn around, Cassandra scowled. "Fine ignore me. I was just wondering if it's smart to continue tryouts when obviously a storm is coming in."

"You really are stupid aren't you?" said James without looking back at her. "A little rain is actually going to help tryouts. Weeds out the ones who can't handle getting a little wet."

He had a point and Cassandra wasn't going to argue it.

Drops of rain began to fall from the sky and Cassandra shivered lightly, pulling her robes closer to her. Hopefully soon Liam would catch the snitch and be done with it. She glanced around and saw the redhead girl looking heavenwards also, her gaze was on Liam and her fingers were crossed.

"Exactly why are you here, Hufflepuff?"

Cassandra turned away from the girl and looked back at James. He still didn't look at her but he wasn't looking at the Seeker hopeful either. Instead he was looking straight ahead, his gaze was burning with annoyance.

Taking a deep breath, Cassandra folded her arms across her chest. Why was James bothering to ask this question? What was the point? Breathing out, Cassandra unfolded her arms and placed a hand to her hip. "That's because Liam is like a brother to me and just because he was sorted into the worst house at Hogwarts, doesn't mean I'm going to abandon him. I'm here to support Liam, nothing more and nothing less."

A twitch.

Cassandra smirked when she saw the corner of James's eye twitch and his hands curled into fists.

"The worst house at Hogwarts is Slytherin followed by Ravenclaw."

"Your brother is in Slytherin and his best friend is in Ravenclaw."

A flash of lightning illuminated James's face as he turned around and looked at Cassandra. His eyes were hard and filled with fire. It looked as if he wanted to punch her or hex her but was holding the urge back because he knew it was a dumb thing to do. Cassandra matched the fire in his eyes with a cold stare.

"You've no idea what that bloody Slytherin house has done to Hogwarts. And you've no idea what your friend's, Malfoy's, father had done and attempted to do to Hogwarts. You're nothing but an outsider to this school so don't you go and try to say which house is the best or the worst. You've no right to judge."

He was so close now that Cassandra could feel the anger radiating off of him. But she wasn't going to back down, not to this arrogant jerk. Cassandra took a step back and pushed James away, hard enough to make him stumble back but not hard enough to hurt him badly.

"You ever heard of a person bubble?"

The entire Quidditch team and the hopefuls were looking up at the Seeker tryouts but Zachary and Lily saw the battle of wills between James and Cassandra. When he saw Cassandra push James, Zachary stepped forward but James placed his hand up and shook his head.

He looked as if he was about to say something before Tiffany McLaggen, A Gryffindor Beater, pointed at the sky and shouted.

"He's spot the snitch!"

Immediately the battle of wills was forgotten and Cassandra and James were looking up at the tryouts. Sure enough, Liam and another girl, a fifth year by the looks of her, were neck to neck sprinting after the speck of gold in the sky. The rest of the hopefuls had taken a step back, too shocked and scared to try and get in their way.

Liam was in a complete state of zen it seems as he zipped after the snitch. His face was calm, his movements were smooth. Even though Cassadnra knew he was going to make it, she still crossed her fingers. Behind her, Lily was doing the exact same thing.

A heavy rain was falling now as Liam and girl zipped around. From one end of the field to the other, through the golden hoops, mock dives and sharp turns, the both of them were obviously trying to out do the other. Until finally the snitch made a sharp dive.

Both riders turned and dove. The speed they rode at was breathtaking. Down, down, down they flew. The girl reached forward, the snitch was just a few inches from her. Liam was behind her, not going nearly as fast as he should. What was going on?

A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder.

The girl looked up and plummeted straight into the ground. The snitch had pulled up about a meter away from ground and Liam was right there when flew up.

The tryouts were over.

A huge round of applause poured throughout the Gryffindors as the team members went to congratulate their new Seeker. Lily immediately pushed through the crowd towards Liam as he helped the girl up and shook her hand. The only two who didn't go to congratulate Liam were James and Cassandra.

"Try-outs are over. Get out of here," said James as he shouldered his broom.

"What? I'm not invited to after party?"

Cassandra didn't even bother to turn around or to wait for James's sarcasm. She turned around and started walking towards the exit. Liam made the team. Her work here was done. Now she was going to go back to her dorm, take a nice long shower and if she wasn't too tired, possibly go and find Albus and Scorpius.

"By the way, tell Liam congrats and that I'll tell him in person after the fiesta. Or are you going to just completely pretend I didn't say that, just like how you took my name off of Hogwash?"

She didn't bother turning to see the narrowed glare James gave her.

He was just not worth it.

"Pretending that I don't exist, isn't going to make me go away. Same with pretending that your brother isn't a Slytherin and that he isn't friends with Scorpius."

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 12th ; Gryffindor Common Room ; Late Evening

xxx

"And I would like to congratulate the newest members of our team! Everyone, give it for Cadmus Fields and Liam Liang!"

Liam smirked as a thunderous applause rang throughout the cozy Gryffindor common room as everyone turned to him and Cadmus. Everyone was congratulating the two of them, some of them looking at them with envy for making the team, others with respect. Some of the girls were batting their eyes at him. Audrey was among those girls, her smile was wide to reveal her too perfectly white teeth.

"Alright, alright calm down everyone," said Zachary from the table top he was standing on. "We all know that I have to get through with this speech before we can party it up and mingle." At the word mingle Zachary winked at some of the girls. "I would also like to thank everyone who came out to tryouts. If you didn't make it this year, don't worry, there's still next year and if you're a seventh year? Well, too bad. But hey, look on the bright side, at least none of you will risk the chance of getting brain damage right?"

A rouse of laughter which Liam joined in only to be polite.

"So without further ado," Zachary reached out and took the open bottle of butterbeer handed to him by Kyle and raised it up in the air, "Let's party it up because this year we are going to destroy the other houses on the field! We are going to show them who's the boss and which house rules Hogwarts!"

"Just remember that tomorrow is still a school- Oh Merlin, no one is going to listen to me are they?" said Nicholas as he shook his head, watching Zachary get carried off the table and into the crowd.

"Nick, you need to just chillax, alright?" said Cadmus. So far Liam had spent most of his time talking to Cadmus, who he found to be an interesting character. The other boy had more facial piercings than anyone Liam had seen and his hair was dark but the tips were dyed an offensive shade of orange and red. Nicholas joined them a little later when Zachary began the speech because James was a horrible orator. "It's just a party and people know there's classes tomorrow."

"And yet they all still wonder why they're tired," said Nicholas as he got up off the couch, picking up his camera in the process. "Well, duty calls. I'm pretty sure there's going to be couples and teammates who will be wanting me to take pictures for them."

"See ya, Nick," said Liam, leaning back into his couch and taking a nice long drink from his bottle of butterbeer. In Liam's opinion, Nicholas was dangerous. He didn't know why but even though he was a friend of James, there was something about the other boy Liam just didn't like.

"Hey Liam."

Liam paused in his drinking and glanced over at Cadmus. The other boy was grinning before he nodded, his eyes looking past Liam at something behind him. Slowly Liam turned around and saw Lily walking towards him. A bottle of butterbeer was in her hand and a shy smile was on her lips as she stopped in front of him.

There was a moment of silence between them.

A moment of silence that was broken when Cadmus stood up and placed his hands up. "I get it, say no more, say no more."

Liam wanted to chuck a pillow at the other boy but he only laughed a bit before moving to the side of the couch a bit so that Lily could sit down. The other girl seemed timid, nervous it seems while she fidgeted with her bottle. "I-I just wanted to tell you, congratulations on making the team."

"You don't have to be so nervous you know," said Liam. He reached out and placed his hand on hers, stopping her from fidgeting. "It makes you look neurotic."

A faint blush flushed across Lily's face as she pulled her hand away. She looked at Liam and chuckled a bit as if trying to play off her nerves. "Nervous? I'm not nervous. I mean, we're friends right? Well, technically you're James's friend. But why would I be nervous about that? Nervous? Me?"

Laughing at her monologue, Liam felt bad that his laugh only made Lily blush even more. He reached out again and pushed a lock of her hair out of her face and shook his head. "Right, totally not nervous."

It was fun making her blush, making her nervous. It was obvious she had never had a boyfriend before and that Liam found funny. She was pretty and there was bound to be several boys who are madly infatuated with her. Before he could say anything else though, two hands came from behind and covered his eyes.

"Guess who, Liam?"

That voice. That girlish annoying voice.

Oh gods, it was her.

"Audrey, is that you?"

A high pitched squeal of excitement.

Liam winced but quickly smiled when Audrey pulled her hands. She quickly skittered forward and sat down between Liam and Lily, deliberately making sure that Liam could see her and only her.

"I am so excited!" she said, giving off another squeal as she reached out and pulled Liam into a tight bone breaking hug. While he was caught in her arms, Liam saw Lily looking at the two of them. Her eyes were wide with shock and before he could say anything, she got up and walked away.

"Dammit," whispered Liam before Audrey pulled back. Once again, his smile was up once he was certain she could see his face. "Audrey! How are you? Why are you excited?"

He was pissed at her. No doubt about it. Liam was pissed at the girl sitting in front of him.

If she had thrown herself at him at any other time, it would be fine. He'd go along with it, because why not? It was fun flirting with people and toeing the line. But right now he was trying to talk to Lily because getting together with Lily would solidify any trust he had with James. That would take him off the chopping block and the suspect list once he and Cassandra got their Witch Hunt plans into action. With this power, he could protect Cassandra also.

This stupid cow just created an unnecessary complication in his plan.

Audrey smiled as she batted her eyelashes at him. She laughed a shrill laugh before she reached out and took Liam's hand. "I'm excited because you're the new Gryffindor Seeker. And I told myself and I told my friends that if you made the Gryffindor team, I would ask you out on a date. I mean, we're completely compatible for each other. You're a Gemini and I'm an Aquarius. We're both absolutely good looking and we can totally be the power couple of Gryffindor if we got together."

"Listen, Audrey-"

"Oh, no." Before he could say anything, Audrey reached out and placed a hand to his lips, silencing him. "I don't want to hear your answer tonight. I want you to tell me after you've thought about it and realize that we're destined for each other."

With a giggle, Audrey got up from the couch and walked back into the party, her hips swaying side to side as she walked off. It was like a tremendous burden has been lifted once Audrey was gone and Liam immediately took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "Just because our star signs say that we're compatible doesn't mean we are. I mean look at me and Cassandra. Our star signs say we shouldn't be friends and if we are we'd be fighting like cats and dogs on a daily basis before we kill each other. We haven't killed each other yet."

Liam was about to stand up and continue mingling with the crowd when he saw James walking over to him. He was about to smile and wave when Liam saw that the other boy looked positively livid. Not a good sign. So rather than walk up to James, Liam waited for him to walk over.

"What happened with Lily?" demanded James. Nick was standing behind James while Zack, who was sitting with a group of girls a little ways away was looking over at the three of them.

Liam blinked once.

"What do you mean what happened?" Liam looked around the common room but when he didn't see her, he turned back to James. "Where is she?"

"She just walked out of the common room. Rose told me that she went to talk to you before she walked out and when I tried to ask her what happened, she won't tell me."

"She walked out of the common room?"

Turning towards the door leading out of the common room, Liam rolled his eyes before shoving his bottle of butterbeer into James's hands. When the other boy asked him where he was going, Liam didn't turn around. Instead he picked up his pace so that no one would stop him. Hopefully whatever damage Audrey had done can be reversed in time. If it couldn't, screw what the letter from the Saint said, he was going to burn her alive and leave the body in the forest to be eaten.

The corridors were silent and empty when Liam stepped out. The only sounds that could be heard was the pouring rain from the storm, the thunder as he roared outside and the snores from the Fat Lady, guardian of the Gryffindor Tower.

Quietly as possibly, Liam closed the door behind him so as to not disturb the portrait.

It didn't matter if the dark corridors were in Toadstool or in Hogwarts, there was always a dark evil feel to them, especially at night. Liam particularly hated the Hogwart corridors because of how eerie it felt. The shadows seemed longer and more prickling. He could already imagine a murder mystery taking place here. He would say the castle was like a haunted house, but that was technically true.

There were ghosts and other strange, unnatural beings living in the castle.

Lily was sitting just around the corner of the hallway, her knees to her chest and arms wrapped around them. Liam would have walked right past her if he wasn't trying to look for her.

The other girl looked miserable, sad. But it didn't look like she had been crying. Instead, her gaze was lowered to the ground but her eyes were distant as if she was lost in thought. Her slightly wavy hair covered parts of her face so Liam couldn't see her clearly.

A flash of lightning and a clash of thunder.

In that brief moment when the entire hallway was illuminated by lightning, Liam felt cold. All of a sudden the girl sitting before him looked different. Her hair was darker, browner but vibrant as if streaked by sunlight. When she looked up, her eyes weren't hazel but instead the brightest gray eyes.

Gray like fine ash.

"What do you want?"

Closing his eyes, Liam shook his head and in an in an instant the girl sitting in front of him was Lily again. He could feel hi heart racing against his chest, the warmth returning to his body in a prickling uncomfortable way. He looked at Lily again and saw nothing. It was just her. It was just a trick of light.

Once he was sure of this, Liam looked down at Lily before he sighed. Everything he had planned to say before had disappeared in that flash of lightning. All his cleverly crafted words, gone.

"I know you like me," he said after a few seconds, or minutes, of silence. "I know you've liked me since we met at Diagon Alley and I know you think that there's something going on between me and Audrey. The truth is, aside from casual flirting, there isn't anything going on between us."

Even though that was true, Liam wasn't going to try and use the other girl to his and Cassandra's advantage somehow.

Lily scoffed before pulling her knees closer to her chest. She was looking down again, her hair obscuring her face. "I don't usually believe people when they gossip you know. I hate gossip. I have to deal with it because my dad's Harry Potter. So when people went around saying that you liked them or you flirted with them, I didn't believe it. I thought that they were just saying that because you're new and friends and James or something."

Girls are so emotionally weird.

Sitting down in front of Lily, Liam pulled her arms from around her knees and Lily looked up when he did. "Just because I talk to them, doesn't mean that I'm flirting with them."

"What about you and Cassandra?"

"What about Cassandra?"

"I saw you kiss her on the Quidditch field."

Liam paused when Lily said that he kissed Cassandra. When did he kiss her? In fact, now that he thought about it, where was Cassandra after he caught the snitch? He had been too wound up in the moment to see if she was there to congratulate him or not.

"You kissed her on the cheek," said Lily when she saw the confusion.

Oh, that kiss. What was with people and thinking that he and Cassandra were an item?

"There's nothing between us aside from the fact that we're stuck together since I'm freeloading off of her and her uncle." Liam reached out and tilted Lily's face up slightly so that she was looking right at him. Hazel eyes began gray again and then back to hazel. Immediately Liam pulled his hand away and sighed. "So don't worry about it ok?"

Lily nodded before she turned away. Again silence settled between them and the both of them just simply allowed it to take over. Seconds. Minutes. Time became irrelevant until Lily broke the silence.

"You said that you know that I liked you. What about you? Do you like me?"

He wasn't expecting that question.

Slowly Liam turned and looked at Lily. Her eyes were wide and critically anticipating his answer and he didn't want to give her one. Because the truth was he didn't. She was a pawn, a tool to be used so he could blend in with the crowd so that he wouldn't look suspicious. That was all she was and could ever be. Anything more than that and his and Cassandra's lives would be on the line. She would then be a liability.

He didn't like her. Just like how he doesn't like anyone here at Hogwarts.

Even though Liam teased Cassandra numerous times about how out of everyone in the Witch Hunters she was the one who disliked wizards and witches the most because she refused to make friends at Toadstool. The only friends Cassandra kept were non-magical ones and those who were Witch Hunters. The truth was though, Liam hated magic and anyone who wielded it the most.

And he hated himself for it also.

"I guess you don't then," Lily said when Liam didn't give her an answer. She stood up and turned to walk back to the common room.

Just as Lily was about to walk off, Liam stood up. He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. He felt her tense beneath his grip before she turned around. There was hope in her eyes. He released her hand and allowed his arm to fall to his side.

"I'm only going to break your heart," he said.

There was an innocence about her. A pure strong innocence that he knew was genuine but didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to break her and yet he did.

Brown hair. Gray eyes. No. Red hair. Hazel eyes.

What Lily did next Liam didn't anticipate either. She walked towards him before stopping once she was a few centimeters away. He could feel the rise and fall of her chest as she breath even though their bodies weren't touch. Her heart beat was loud enough for him to hear – was it his heart beat?

She reached up towards his face, her fingers barely touching him as she guided his face down.

A kiss.

A simple innocent kiss.

The taste of her lips, stained with butter beer. The smell of her hair, honeysuckle and ash.

She pulled away.

A flash of lightning.

Brown hair and gray eyes.

A roar of thunder.

Red hair and hazel eyes.

"You already broke it," she said before she turned around and walked towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.

Liam closed his eyes before he walked back towards the wall. He listened to her walk into the common room again, the portrait of the Fat Lady closing behind her as she did so. Whatever chance he had of making friends with James, all that hard work at Quidditch and building trust was gone.

James was going to hate him.

When he opened his eyes again, Liam ran a hand through his hair before looking back at the common room. He didn't want to go back to the party. He didn't want to confirm his fears just yet. When Cassandra found out, she was going to be furious. She wouldn't understand though. As close as they were, she wouldn't understand. She doesn't know and he thought that he was ready.

Ready to manipulate feelings that were deeper than shallow flirtation.

But he wasn't.

Brown hair and gray eyes. The smell of ash, pine needles and honeysuckle.

He wanted a place to be alone. He needed a place to be alone. He didn't want to go back.

Liam didn't realize when he had started walking around the empty hallways but when his snapped back into reality he saw a door that wasn't there before. Even though he didn't feel up to it, curiosity got the better of him. He walked over to the door and took hold of its cold metal handle.

With a tug he pulled the door open.

xxx

**Author's Note:** So what do you all think? 8D

I know most of you have been wondering where the romantic aspect of this story was going to come into play and well, I'm thinking that beginning this chapter the romantic side is going to start coming out more. The reason why it hasn't been like that until this chapter is because the previous chapters were for setting up the groundwork.

Note that there is still a lot of groundwork to be set and expect changes. I can't guarantee anything that happens here mostly because when I'm picking the couples, I'm picking the ones that will create the most drama and yet at the same time gives the story the best flow to it.

I also want to take this space to talk about something I mentioned in a previous author's note and realized that I never answered the question I posed. 8D Fail author is fail. But I asked if anyone see a theme being formed that I had unintentionally created. Well, what I was trying to point out is how James, Zachary, Nicholas and Liam reminded me of the Marauders and while Albus, Scorpius and Cassandra reminded me of the golden trio. XD The connection didn't hit me until I wrote Nicholas's personality, re-read the chapter and was like "He reminds me of Remus sort of." So yea, that's what I was pointing out. XD

Anyways, please review if you enjoyed the story and tell me what you enjoyed about it. If you didn't enjoy it please review anyways and tell me what you didn't enjoy about it.

And yes, this is an early submission. I know. I am totally screwing up my updating days. x_x

OH! Also, after this, I am no longer going to be putting up a "Special Thanks" section. Mostly because I don't like the space it takes up and rather than use the review reply, I'll be PMing people with accounts instead... Because I thought that the replies would go to the private messages and not the e-mails.


	9. We Need To Talk

**Witch Hunt**

**By:** xLucky-Sparks

**Chapter Nine:** We Need to Talk

**Disclaimer:** Whatever belongs to JK Rowling belongs to JK Rowling. Whatever belongs to me belongs to me.

**Special thanks to: **Everyone who reviewed Witch Hunt ^^

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 13th ; Gryffindor Common Room ; Morning

xxx

"We need to talk."

Was a talk really all that necessary?

Liam didn't look up from the book he had been reading. He didn't need to look up to know that Rose was standing behind the couch he was sitting on. He didn't need to look up to know that from the tone of her voice, she was seething at him. He also definitely didn't need to look up to know that he was in trouble with her. He also had an inkling feeling that he knew why he was in trouble also.

He just didn't expect it to be Rose to confront him about it.

When he didn't look up, Rose rolled her eyes before she stalked over to the other boy. She reached out and pulled the book from Liam's hands. She slammed it closed then tossed it aside not caring where it went.

"We need to talk," she said again, emphasizing every word until Liam looked up at her. "What happened last night with my cousin?"

He was right. This was about Lily.

Liam sighed before he turned away from the scowling angry redhead in front of him. He'll have to admit there was something terrifyingly intimidating about the other girl. If he wasn't so tired he probably would have been nervous about what she might do to him if he answered her question. James and Zachary did tell him that Rose was well known for her hexes, especially her Bat Bogey Hexes which she learned how to perfect thanks to her aunt Ginny.

"So how much did she tell you?"

She looked like she wanted to punch him so Liam moved to side a bit. Just a bit.

"This is about what you said to her. Not about what she told me. What happened?"

Of course it wasn't.

Liam didn't turn to look at Rose as a frown creased his lips. He wanted to talk to Cassandra right now. Getting his ear chewed off by Cassandra was different than getting a scolding from Rose. With Cassandra, at least she would eventually leave him alone. But what was the harm in telling her truth anyways?

"I told her to find someone better than me and that in the end I'm only gonna break her heart," said Liam before he lead back against the couch. He looked at Rose and gave her a half smirk before he turned away.

"You told her what?"

He was going to get it now.

Liam winced, turning to the side and groaned softly as he reached up and touched the side of his face. Who knew a girl like Rose could also pack a punch? Or rather, a slap. Not only did it hurt but it stung also.

"If you didn't like her, why did you flirt with her? You act like you fancy her, get her hopes up and then just blow it up in her face? I knew it, I just knew it that this was going to end badly for her. Especially from the way Audrey's been hanging off of you. Are you to an item now or something? Tell me, because if you don't I'll hex you."

Still rubbing the sore spot on his face where Rose's hand collided with his face, Liam looked back at her with a sharp glare. He pushed a pillow that had been sitting next to him on to the ground, biting his bottom lip.

"Audrey and I aren't together even though she'd love for it to be that way," he said, "And I flirted with Lily because I did like her. At first, at least. After a while..." Liam paused before he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "After a while, I just didn't, alright? She's two years younger than I am. It's a bit awkward for a sixteen year old to be dating a fourteen year old. And at least I nipped this in the bud before things got worse. I mean, imagine what could happen if I really did get with her? A couple months later, I dump her and it would have been much worse for both of us. Also, she's James's younger sister. Friends don't date their friend's younger sister, even if they have permission."

It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes now.

"That doesn't change the fact that you acted like you fancied her."

"That's because I did!" Liam got up from the couch. His mind was scrambling for excuses and ways to repair the damage he did last night with Lily. If he had just simply told her that he did like her, that they should be a couple and then started dating her, this mess wouldn't be here right now. "I did like her and then after a while I realized that that's it. I just liked her. Nothing more, nothing less. She's a pretty girl with a great personality, she'll find someone much better than me. I can guarantee that."

"Well, she doesn't think that." There was a firm tone in Rose's voice. A firm and annoyed tone. "She doesn't think that because she's shy and doesn't talk to people often. Every guy she likes, she tries to make friends with and in the end they never really look twice at her until they realize that her last name is Potter and her father is named Harry. You were the first boy to actually show interest in her before realizing who her family is and you just... just… ugh! I don't even know what to say about this expect that I knew you were trouble from the start."

Silence.

He really didn't want to say anything after Rose's monologue but when it looked like she did want him to say something, Liam sighed. He didn't want to explain too much but hopefully what he was giving would be enough.

"Lily will do much better without me, ok?" said Liam. As he said this, Liam grimaced. Exactly how much was too much? "I'm not the world's best boyfriend. I really am not. I'd rather date someone expandable like Audrey than someone solid and stable like Lily because... because when I do things end badly. Very badly. And I'm tired of it. It's much easier going through a list of girls who are a dime a dozen than to commit to one who is golden. It's less tiring and less painful, ok?"

Liam gave Rose a grin but the suspicious look in her eyes made him frown again.

"Go ahead, say I'm a jerk and let's get it over with because I know flirting with people's emotions and feelings are a bad thing but I do it anyways for my own selfish use. I know you want too but hey, at least I'm an honest jerk."

After he said that, Liam watched as Rose walked over to the arm chair and sat on its arm. She was still looking at him suspiciously but he could see a light of curiosity in her eyes. "So what happened with your last girlfriend that you're so afraid of happening to Lily?"

She just had to ask.

Liam smirked but the smirk became a tight lipped frown before he instinctively reached for a lollipop in his pocket. There was nothing. He ate his last one last night while exploring that strange room he found. With a sigh, Liam turned to Rose and shrugged.

"Let's just say my family had a burning hate for her and the only way for them to get off my case about it is if I put and end to the relationship and I dumped her in the worst way possible. There's more to the story but I'm not going into details even if you threaten to tell James about how I broke Lily's heart."

"I'm not going to push for an answer if you're not going to give one and I'm not going to tell James either because Lily doesn't want me too. So consider yourself lucky." Getting up off from the arm chair, Rose picked up the pillow Liam had pushed off the couch and threw it at him as hard as she could. "James would have hexed you first then asked questions. I'll see you in Herbology later."

Catching the pillow, Liam shook his head before laying back down on the couch. A couple of students were coming down the stairs now, second years from the looks of it. They were whispering to each other before scampering out of the commonroom through the portrait hole when they saw Liam giving them a glare. Rose was making her way upstairs to the girls dormitories again and Liam watched as she climbed up the stairs.

"I am not looking forward to it," he said turning to the empty fireplace. His mind was a jumbled mess as he replayed his conversation with Rose. He had mixed in the truth with the lies and now he was confused.

What did he say was the truth and what did he say was a lie?

Did he really fancy Lily at first or was he just using her like all the other guys when they realize that she was Harry Potter's daughter? And if he wasn't and that he did like her... is it only because she reminded him of-

Shaking his head, Liam got up again. He needed a shower. A nice long shower and then he was going to spend the rest of his day until Herbology class looking for that room he found last night. James and Zachary were in class while Nick was probably working on Hogwash and Hoodlums. He finally had time to himself. And the room he found last night would be perfect for him and Cassandra to meet in for private Witch Hunter planning and discussions.

"Yea, that sounds like a good idea," said Liam as he got off the couch.

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 30th ; Gryffindor Common Room ; Evening

xxx

Two weeks.

It had been a little over two weeks already and Liam is still no where near finding out where the stupid room he had discovered was located at. He knew for a fact that it was located on the seventh floor and that it had a funny looking door that didn't look quite like all the other doors at Hogwarts. The last time he found the room, it was spacious and reminded him of his room in America, just a bit because even though it looked like his old room certain things were off. The bed was too small and the pictures and photographs were moving. Liam spent a good several minutes just staring at the photographs in the broken frames.

During those these two weeks, Rose held true to her words. She didn't tell James about what Liam said to Lily. The other boy did mention it in passing, telling Liam that he was sort of disappointed that Lily doesn't quite fancy Liam anymore before going on talking about how he had to improve on his skills at Quidditch.

Ah yes, Quidditch.

Quidditch practice was the only time during the day that Liam really dreaded. It was awkward enough for him to fly around the pitch and failing to catch the snitch even when it was right in front of his nose, it was even more awkward that he and Lily weren't exactly talking. They were civil with each other, yes. But every time Liam tried to lighten the mood with a joke or something, the other girl only walked away. Cadmus would usually be laughing a bit before patting Liam on the shoulder telling him: "She just isn't into you."

As he sank down into one of the many couches in the Gryffindor common room, Liam groaned softly as he closed his eyes. Every bit of his body ached. Even the places he never knew could ache was aching. Three times he had crashed into the ground after diving after the snitch. Six times he had nearly fallen off his broom dodging a bludger. Twice he had nearly ran straight on into a bludger. And once he got smacked by the quaffle. The quaffle, and might he say that those quaffles do actually hurt when they are thrown right in your face.

Needless to say, Quidditch practice was a disaster.

"You still got some blood on your nose there, Li," said Cadmus. He was walking past Liam, his broom over his shoulder. Unlike the rest of the team, Cadmus insists on keeping his broom with him in his room. He also insists on shortening everyone's name. "I always knew that bludgers can cause bloody noses but never quaffles. You sure you ok? You took a pretty hard dive right afterwards also."

"I'm fine," said Liam sourly as he wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve. He didn't bother changing out of his Quidditch robes. "I've just been out of it, that's all."

"That's what you said last practice also." Before Liam could retort, Cadmus was making his way upstairs to the boy's dormitories. "It's not that I doubt you Li, but some people on the team are wondering if you just got lucky during tryouts."

Once Cadmus was upstairs, Liam rolled his eyes. The other boy had no idea how right he was. But Liam was determined to actually improve on Quidditch. He still hated the sport, but now he hated it to a point he was determined to beat it.

Just as Liam was about to close his eyes and doze off, he heard someone running down the stairs from the boy's dorms and then jumping off the last few steps. The person was running towards his couch and Liam thought that they were going to run past him and into the portrait-hole.

He was wrong. Instead they ran straight at his couch and slammed their hands on the back of the couch on either side of Liam's head.

Startled out of his thoughts, Liam opened his eyes and turned around sharply to see Zachary hopping over the back of the couch and sitting down next to Liam. The other boy was grinning as he leaned back.

"We need to talk."

Not those words again.

When he heard Zachary tell him that they needed to talk, Liam was almost certain that it was going to be about either Lily, and that Rose finally told James about what happened, or about Quidditch practice. But when he saw the goofy grin on the other boy's face, Liam realized that it was neither about Quidditch or Lily. So he quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side a bit.

"What about?"

Zachary's smile grew as he glanced around the common room. There were several students milling about. A couple was snogging in the far end of the room away from everyone else. Several third and fourth years were sitting by the fireplace reading while a group of fifth years were walking into the common room, no doubt returning from dinner.

After deeming the place far from perfect, Zachary got up and motioned for Liam to follow him upstairs. He didn't wait for Liam to follow before simply getting up and started walking. Liam glanced around the common room also before he followed Zachary.

The seventh year dorms was slightly larger than the sixth year dorms and there was a bit more furnishings also. A large table at the far end with two couches. There was a chess set table, its pieces milling about idly. When they saw Liam and Zachary walk into the room, some of them looked up hopefully while the pawns skittered off to hide.

As he shooed away the chess piece, Liam took a seat on one of the chairs while Zachary sat down on his bed. The other boy was glancing over to the door as if expecting someone else to come in before he looked at Liam.

"So," he stated simply and grinned when Liam arched an eyebrow. "James, Nick and I have been talking and we decided that we need to take you out on a one of our outings. We're thinking of going tonight actually, are you in?"

Liam arched his eyebrow further as he shifted in his seat, leaning forward causing the annoying ache in his body to spike. "Wait, where are we going?"

"An outing," said Zachary nonchalantly. "If Nick and James were here, they'd explain more but I'm just feeling too lazy to bother. Anyways, this outing of ours is a secret. It's only between the four of us and if you want to tag along, meet us in the room of requirement at midnight."

This was going in one ear and out the other. Liam furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. Was this their way of getting back at him for failing miserably at Quidditch practice? "Wait, slow down. What are we doing, why are we doing it and does it have anything to do with practice today because if it is, I'm sorry. I've just been having a really lousy month."

Zachary grinned again and shook his head. "Nah, it isn't about practice today, although I have to say that James did look pretty horrified at how the Quaffle practically smashed your nose in when he threw it at Cadmus. We also know it's hard trying to fit in at Hogwarts so don't worry about it ok? We just want to officially welcome you into our little group."

Liam wanted to ask Zachary if he wasn't already part of the group but bit back the question. He instead sighed and decided to go one whatever scheme James had planned. "Alright then, where's this room of requirement?"

"Seventh floor. Just walk back and forth down the halls thinking hard about finding the three of us in the meeting place. You'll definitely find the room of requirement in no time."

As he processed this information, Liam nodded. "Alright fine. I'll see you guys at midnight."

xxx

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Somewhere in the United Kingdom

September 30th ; Room of Requirement ; Midnight

xxx

"Room of requirement. Room of requirement. I need to find the room of requirement."

As Liam walked up and down the hallway, he chanted the same refrain under his breath. It was annoying how vague Zachary was when he told Liam about how to find the Room of Requirements. It was impossible to believe that by simply thinking about it the door would suddenly show up or something. But of course, even though it was impossible to believe, this was the magical world and this was Hogwarts so anything is possible.

The soft carpet muffled the sound of his footsteps as Liam turned the corner and continued pacing the corridors. He was straining his senses, keeping and ear and eye out for the wretched old caretaker Mr. Filch and his cat Mrs. Norris. Rumor has it that Ms. Filch was as old as Hogwarts itself. Now that wasn't so hard to believe since the old caretaker looked like something a flobberworm digested and his cat looked mangier and more menacing than any cat Liam had ever seen. Despite his age though, the old caretaker seemed to move like lightning when it came to catching mischief makers.

"I need to find the room of requirements. I need to find the room of requirements where James, Zach and Nicholas are waiting for me. I need to find the- AH!"

All of a sudden out of nowhere a wildly colored mask flow at him with crazed purple eyes while pelting chalk at him. Liam pulled his wand out to hex the mask away when the mask was thrown aside and a devilish imp of a ghost flew at him and grabbed his nose.

"Got your conk!" shouted Peeves before he floated backwards and cackled at Liam. "Oh, I got you good don't I, Mr. America! I got you good!"

"Move it, Peeves," said Liam as he pointed his wand at the poltergeist. He knew that hexing the stupid ghost would do no good, but it was still worth a try. "Come on, I've got somewhere I need to be."

"Ooooh, Mr. America go somewhere to be~ Well, if he gives me the password then maybe he can pass through this hall."

"How about up yours and let my pass by?" muttered Liam, taking a step to the side to walk past the poltergeist. Before he could move, a walking stick levitated up and smacked him on the head. "Ouch! Hey! Let me through!"

"Not unless he supplies the password," sang Peeves as he did a bit of a dance with the walking stick. "Come on Mr. America unless you want to get into trouble~"

"Trouble?" mimicked Liam.

Peeves cackled and pointed at him. "STUDENT OUT OF BED! STUDENT OUT OF BED! RIGHT HERE! RIGHT HERE!"

Liam turned around and saw a cat running down the hall. He didn't need to think twice to know that the cat was Mrs. Norrirs running off to alert Mr. Filch about his location. Great. Awesome. Just fricken' awesome.

Without another thought, Liam sprinted past Peeves who continued to shout his location to Mrs. Norris. He needed a place to hide and fast. Even though Liam only knew Filch by reputation, he was in no hurry to find out if Filch's reputation holds true or not.

Grabbing the nearest doorknob, Liam turned it every which way. No. It was locked. Next door. Right left. Dammit. Locked.

Liam could still hear Peeves and it sounded like the poltergeist had nothing better to do than to follow him while shouting, rattling the suits of armor and waking up the portraits.

Next door. Next door.

Just as Liam was about reach out to try for another door, he felt someone grab his arm and yank him back. Immediately Liam started to shout sorry and apologize profusely to the ill tempered caretaker when he felt the same person cover his mouth with their hand and drag him backwards into what looked like a tunnel way. Before Liam could even blink, a large stone that looked like a statue closed the tunnel way just as Filch turned the corner and Peeves started pouring ink all over the man.

Then it was pitch black.

"Lumos."

Liam gasped just as the tip of Nicholas's wand lit up and a soft golden light lit up the tunnel. Liam turned around and saw that it was Zachary who dragged him into the tunnel. Nicholas was standing next to him with his wand out while James was grinning.

As he looked back at the three, Liam felt his heart pounding from the adrenaline rush.

"Where are we?" asked Liam after taking several breaths of air. "I thought that we're meeting up in the Room of Requirement."

"We were until we saw that you ran into Peeves. So we hightailed it out of the R.O.R and came here instead. Figured that if there's trouble one of us could go out and nab you before Filch gets there," said Zachary as he pulled his wand out of his pocket. "Lumos."

"Just in time too," said James as he waved an old looking parchment he had been holding in his hand. "We were worried that Peeves would realize that Zachary was coming out to get you and stop him or something. You were so close to getting caught too. Ha! Filch is chasing Peeves through the sixth floor now. That old coot never gives up does he? It's been what? A thousand years already?"

Immediately Zachary and Nicholas walked over to James and the three of them huddled around the ancient parchment. Whatever they were looking was apparently amusing since the three of them were grinning and on the occasion, snickering.

Curiosity got the better of him as Liam walked over to look at just how amusing that old parchment can be and once he got beside Zachary, Liam saw that they were all looking at a map. A very ornate and detailed map of Hogwarts that pinpointed the exact location of everyone on it. Right now Mr. Filch really was chasing Peeves through the sixth floor corridor. Liam grinned but then immediately looked towards the Hufflepuff common room. He saw that Cassandra was sitting with Nathan and Lorcan, probably just hanging out he assumed. He was about to look at the Gryffindor common room to see what Lily and Rose were up too when two dots caught his eye.

Apparently him, James, Zachary and Nicholas weren't the only ones who were out to have some mischief. Albus and Scorpius were up also and the both of them were walking down the same corridor as the Hufflepuff common room.

"This map is brilliant," whispered Liam as he watched Albus and Scorpius making their way down the hall. "Did you guys make this?"

"As brilliant as we are, we didn't," said James before folding the map close. He tapped on it once. "Mischief managed." Immediately the entire map disappeared off the parchment and James folded it back into his pocket. "Apparently it's called the Marauder's map. I nicked it from my dad's drawer. Don't think he knows that I have it yet."

"If he did, you'd be having a Howler every day until you return it," said Nicholas, turning from James to Liam. "The map shows everything. All the secret passageways and sometimes the passwords, everything. It's been pretty useful for us since..."

"Since Nick here likes to use it to spy on people for the newspaper," said James.

"And James likes to use to spy on people period," said Nicholas giving James a sharp glare. "And the occasional fun and mischief like we're doing right now."

"Fun and mischief..." repeated Liam.

Back at Toadstool, Liam was known for being a good student, confident dueler and a teachers a pet. He was not the mischief maker. Brianna and Mei had that covered. He found it ironic how here was Hogwarts he had to suck up to the leader of the school, was a poor Quidditch player and now a mischief maker.

Oh cruel life.

"Exactly what are we doing tonight?"

"Initiate you into our group of course," said James as he nodded down the tunnel. "I mean, you've been hanging with us for a while. You're kind of decent and we trust you. Besides, now that Lily isn't smitten with you anymore, I don't have to worry about having to kill you if you break her heart. I mean, I'd hate to kill someone who in my inner circle but family comes first. And sure, you're doing miserably at Quidditch practice but I'm guessing it's because you want to throw off the rest of the houses at Hogwarts so they think that you're bad. Because Merlin knows Deidra likes to spy on our practice sessions. Anyways, we're wasting time. Come on, let's go."

So not dating Lily was one of the requirements for being part of James's inner circle?

Liam blinked once as Zachary and Nicholas followed James down the tunnel. He could hardly believe that choosing not to date Lily was a good idea after all.

"Hurry it up, Liam!"

Of course, that last bit about Quidditch, Liam was certain that James was only saying that to lie to himself about just how bad Liam really is.

Once he caught up with the three other boys, Liam found that after a few minutes they fell into a steady pattern of silence and the occasional scuffle. The tunnel was dark and dusty. Occasionally he could hear a mouse run past or a spider twitch by as they pass several spiderwebs. What could have been a few minutes felt like an eternity as James lead them down the tunnel.

"Just where are we going?" asked Liam as he felt something squish under his shoe. "Ew, beetle guts."

"Mate, that isn't a beetle. You just stepped on a roach," said Zachary.

Liam turned to the other boy with a annoyed and disgusted look. Did he really need to know exactly what he stepped on?

"Just a bit longer," said James.

As they continued walking, Liam could feel a bit of a draft. They were approaching their destination now but where that destination is, Liam could hardly imagine. From what it feels like, it definitely doesn't seem like they were at Hogwarts anymore.

"Alright, we're here."

Everyone came to a stop before James turned around and looked at Liam.

"Down here leads to the basement of the Three Broomsticks, a pub at Hogsmeade. I know you've never been to Hogsmeade village yet, so here's your chance. But when you go visit you have to do something. You know, cause a bit of mischief there before coming back. You have one hour and bring back from proof that you actually did something."

They have got to be kidding him.

When James saw the blank look in Liam's face, he nodded towards the tunnel way.

"Time starts now by the way," he said with a grin. "Once you're done with this, you've proved to us that you're a real Marauder."

Apparently the other boy was serious. So as to not waste anymore time, Liam dashed off down the tunnel way towards the hidden exit into the Three Broomsticks having no idea what to do once he got there.

"Maybe you can break into Honeydukes and steal some candy for us!"

That was the last thing Liam heard from Zachary before he arrived at the hidden door and pushed it open.

xxx

**Author's Note: **Once again, a majorly late update. I am so sorry. D: I caught a nasty cold and just really couldn't write anything with this stupid cold. Anyways, here's the next chapter for Witch Hunt. I considered writing more for it but realized... I really don't' want to have more than 5000 words per chapter. D: I really don't. Mostly because it's a chore to read and I must applaud anyone who sat through and slogged through this entire story. Thank so much for bearing with me and my horrid writing, stilted characters and bad prose.

So anyways, please review if you did or did not enjoy it. I'd love to have your input. And just a reminder, I try to respond to each review individually now via private messages. If you don't' get a response, I'm sorry. If you're anonymous. DD: I really am sorry. I feel so bad for not being able to respond to your review personally.

-offers a tray full of cookies-

So have a cookie instead? ^^;


	10. Authors Note: A Question for the Readers

**Author's Note**

Hello Readers of Witch Hunt~

So, obviously from the title, this isn't the next chapter for Witch Hunt and I apologize tremendously for that. I'm fairly certain some of you are wondering why is there an author's note and if something bad had happened that made me put an Author's Note up. The answer is no, nothing tremendously bad has happened.

The reason why I'm putting up this Author's Note is because I have been seriously considering rewriting Witch Hunt from top to bottom. It's pretty obvious from my previous Author's Notes that I've been rather, iffy, about my writing skills and particularly the execution of Witch Hunt along with the character personalities.

I feel like the story has been really bogged down and dragged down because of how long the chapters all. When I saw that the it's 70,000 words and only the ninth chapter, I more or less went... O_O "Oh dear". Part of this is really because I didn't quite grasp how to divvy up the chapters so that there wouldn't be chapters that ran ten thousand words long.

I also felt like the story wasn't moving fast enough. If it is, the fact that each chapter is so long it I'm not too sure if it feels like the story is moving fast enough.

There's a lot I want to address on why I feel like I want to re-write Witch Hunt but the main reason why I'm not too sure about the re-write is how you, the reader, would feel if I suddenly went and re-wrote everything top to bottom.

I know that it would probably suck major cosmic goat balls to invest this much time into reading a fanfic only to have the author go and re-write it. I also know that some people might get pissed and decide not to read the rewritten version at all and I'm sorry if that happens.

So in part, this Author's Note is to tell all of you that I am planning to re-write Witch Hunt and patch in a few flaws that came up in this fiction. I had everything planned out but the execution was rather awful in my mind. And the other part is to ask all of you to stick around to see what the rewritten version would be like because these are a few things I can guarantee you'll see in the second version of Witch Hunt:

1) The inner working of the Witch Hunters and how Cassandra and Liam got involved in Witch Hunt. You'll also see characters that were only mentioned in Witch Hunt and how they interact with each other, Sang Min and Brianna specifically. Gregory and Mei will be switched out with different characters.

2) A possible addition of Sang Min to Cassandra and Liam's team. To more or less balance out Casandra and Liam's polar personalities.

3) Shorter chapters that aren't a chore to read through. I'll try and keep each chapter I write at a readable length and not cram everything into one chapter.

4) Better missions for Cassandra and Liam. Because, let's be honest, those missions pretty much were failtastic.

5) Darker themes to better suit the fact that Liam and Cassandra are the villains of the story. I pushed the romance too much in this first version of Witch Hunt that it was stilted and forced. There will still be romance, but this time I'm letting everything just simply develop. What are the pairings? I'll be honest, Liam and Lily is the only ship I am certain of. I am on the edge about James and Cassandra or Scorpius and Cassandra because I can work with either one and it will still move the storyline forward. Albus? I also have two characters in mind to be paired with him and one of them is a guy. The reason why is because I want to pay homage to Albus Dumbeldore since I already paid homage to Snape by making Albus kickass at potions and his aspiration to be a potions master. Is there a chance at Scorpius and Rose? Yes. A very high chance at that.

Keep in mind though, all these couples aside from Liam and Lily are not set in stone.

6) Hugo and Lily are no longer fourth years. They will be fifth years and Lily will have a less innocent personality and be a bit spunkier.

Ok, so those reasons aren't really kickass awesome reasons why you guys should stick around but those really are the reasons why. I have a new opening for Witch Hunt planned out, although admittedly part of the first few chapters will be set in America rather than just one like in this version.

Also, if anyone is interested in beta-reading the new version of Witch Hunt, please PM me. I already have a friend who I asked to beta for me but I would like a second beta reader to keep me on track also. Yes, I know that I can easily totter off to the beta section of fanfiction(dot)net and find a beta, but since this is a rewrite of the story, I'd like to ask the readers of Witch Hunt to be a beta instead.

And, that's really all that I have to say right now. If there's a lot of protest to me re-writing Witch Hunt then I won't re-write it and continue on with the story as if nothing has happened. But if there isn't and people are fine with the re-write then I do exactly that. Once the first chapter of the second version of Witch Hunt is up, I'll write a second Author's Note here to announce that. I'm estimating that the first chapter should be up in about one-two weeks. It doesn't really take me long to write a chapter, it only takes me long because life gets in the way.

Thank you for reading this Author's Note and I hope to hear from all of you about this.

~ xLucky-Sparks

PS: I'm also going to be changing my username to **N.T Rayne** once the re-write goes up or after Witch Hunt gets updated again.

PPS: If there is a rewrite of Witch Hunt I don't want to call rewritten version of Witch Hunt, "Witch Hunt" because well, I just don't. If worst comes to worst then I will but if anyone has suggestions for a new title, please by all means tell me. ^^;


	11. Author's Note: I'M BACK! 8D

**Author's Note**

Dear Readers of Witch Hunt,

I'm back! After months of inactivity I am back and have finally started the re-written new and improved version of **Witch Hunt**. And I would like to say that I am so, so, so, so, so sorry for the long time gap and delay on the rewrite. The reason for this is because school started again, I am a second year in college, and life started to eat at me. Still, there really is no excuse for the huge delay. And once again, I'm sorry. But I have been planning the new improved version of **Witch Hunt** and here it is (with a spiffy oh so original new title and everything. It's no longer just called **Witch Hunt** it is now called **A Modern Day Witch Hunt**. Spiffy and original, no?).

Anyways, please visit my profile to see the new improved version of the first chapter. Yes, it is the same opening. Yes, you will find a lot of similarities to the original version. I had a new opening planned but then scrapped it because I found a new way to work it into the story line. For you loyal readers, I will tell you that **Chapter Two** will be where you will find this new twist. So please look forward to it. ^_^

Also, there will be a complete and total absence of religious motivation behind the witch hunts. The reason for this is because, well, I feel horrid dragging religion into the storyline. I'm not religious, but it just feels like I'm desecrating something when I tried to add a religious motivation behind the witch hunts. Hence the reason why the first chapter has been revised in its own way. (Though the leader of the witch hunters will still be called the Saint unless someone comes up with a better name. XD)

So yes, for people who are still around, I am so sorry. I didn't mean for my break to be this long. So, so, so, so sorry. And thank you so much for still sticking around for the new version of **Witch Hunt**.

Oh and, yes, I did change my username. [/sweatdrops]

~ N.T Rayne


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